Reps vow to enhance safety standards in electricity dector

By Christiana Ekpa

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations, Hon. (Dr) Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi, has said safety in the Nigerian electricity sector cannot be compromised.
He said this during a briefing to present the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry Safety Conference at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Committee said it would collaborate with the Association for Public Policy Analysis and other stakeholders working in the Power Sector to organise the conference.
He said despite efforts by the Federal Government to address issues of safety in the sector, problems still exist.
These problems , he said, include vandalism, theft, installation of electricity by non-licensed electrical installers, production, marketing and use of sub-standard electrical materials among others.
“The Committee identified the Power Sector as an important sector whose safety standards and regulatory policies should be observed for effective legislative actions.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria has made a commitment towards enhancing safety standards and regulations in the electricity sector by ascertaining laws, regulations and established institutions to coordinate, implement and enforce the laws.
“This is with the overall aim of ensuring that electricity service delivery in the country is carried out in a safe, secured and qualitative manner, devoid of loss of lives and properties such.
“Moreso, to relieve the occurrences of incidences such as electrical accidents, electrocution, distortion of the functionality of electricity networks and grids, theft and vandalism and so on.
“Despite the efforts of the Government in creating laws, setting up regulatory policies, establishing institutions of State and providing guidelines, codes and rules which operators in the sector should abide by, problems still exist,” he said.