NEDC commends MOMAS on Electricity Metering Technology Training for Engineers
********* Restates commitment to poverty eradication in Northeast
By Yunus Yusuf
In addressing youth unemployment and building sustainable human capacity development, The North East Development Commission (NEDC), has given its backing to the practical technical training in meter installation and industry ethics by MOMAS Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company (MEMMCOL).
The Deputy General Manager, NEDC, Ms Fatima Ciroma, made the assertion during the graduation of over 150 young engineers from the six states in the Northeast.
The Business Intelligence (TBI Africa) reports that the young engineers were provided with three months intensive training at Momas Metering School, Orimerunmu, Mowe, Ogun State, where they got certified as electricians.
Ciroma reiterated the commission’s commitment towards implementing programmes and initiatives aimed at reducing poverty in the Northeast region.
She commended MOMAS while speaking at the graduation ceremony of over 150 students who enjoyed the scholarship of the NEDC in metering and electrical installation.
Momas offered intensive training programme for young graduate engineers on meter installation and maintenance tp bridged metering gap.
The NEDC boss said that the training programme by MOMAS, a private sector initiative would help in boosting local capacity for meter installers that have been observed to be in deficit.
Ciroma said that this was in line with regulatory directive of 30 per cent patronage of locally-manufactured meters as part of local content development initiative by government.
“We have been in MOMAS facility, and here I am to see what is available given the expectation of government from its local partners. For someone to establish and manage this facility for over 30 years shows deep commitment and today we are witnessing Free training of engineering graduates in smart meter installation and maintenance as well as industry ethics. I will critically investigate the company and ensure we back this initiative because this is a huge leap in capacity building which the country needs access this point” Ciroma assured.
“MOMAS company should be commended for this laudable initiative in training 150 graduate engineers each from the Northeast in the country.”
The skill acquisition scholarship involves training in electricity meter installations, solar PV installations and electrical house wiring, among others.
Ciroma noted that the mandate of the commission was to seek ways of tackling poverty and unemployment through various skill acquisition programmes for the youth in the region.
“What we are doing for the 150 graduating students is part of our mandate as far as NEDC is concerned. We have mandate aimed at reducing poverty through skill acquisitions.
“We have embarked on various skill acquisition programmes different for what the 150 students drawn from the six states in the Northeast have enjoyed.
“We have had trainings for our youths in ICT, training programmes at the Peugeot Assembly of Nigeria (PAN) in Kaduna where they were trained in automobiles.
“We also have other programmes ahead of us different from the metering and electrical installation because we want to explore all avenues to ensure that our youths are gainfully employed, she said.
Ciroma noted that the programme was a readymade resource programme that would help the beneficiaries have an edge toward self sufficiency.
“The programme which the youth have enjoyed is one of the in-demands in the employment market today. I am sure that they, the beneficiaries, already have jobs waiting for them.
“In line with the Federal Government mass metering of homes, we know that Nigeria is in the deficit of eight million meters which will need a great number of professionals to fill the gaps.
“Those that we have trained should be the ones to help develop the power sector and contribute their quotas while they also get rewarded.
“Our commitments to the development of the region is unwavering and we will continue to do our part in actively engaging youths in investment that will improve their lives, she said.
One of the beneficiaries of the programme and the overall best student, Adamu Isaq from Bauchi State, said that the programme was a well thought out one.
“The programme to me is fantastic, I enjoyed all the trainings and I did not do anything extraordinary as the best student, what I did was to pay attention to what the instructor is teaching.
“I am eager to put into practice what I have learnt here by setting up my own business as a solar panel engineer, the part I enjoyed most during the training,” he said.
Speaking on the initiative, Engr Kola Balogun, the Chairman, Momas Group, described the programme as apt in the development of Nigerias power sector and quest to have adequate power to drive her economy.
“Programme like this is most needed in Nigeria at this critical time that we are striving to have a viable power sector to drive our economy.
“We need to set aside certain money to challenge our gap in skill acquisition especially in the power sector where we have much deficit.
“If we do not train our youths, our future cannot be sustained and that is the reason we want to bridge the gap in the power sector through trainings like this.
“Nigeria has a deficit of 8million meters, so the question is who we are going to employ to install all these meters. Are we going to employ the services of expatriates? He queried.
Balogun said other advanced countries in the world already had metering schools that had helped to address their power challenges which the company was trying to replicate.
“We need to have our youth trained in meter installations and metering which have been in existence in the developed countries.
“There is a metering school in the U.S., and another one in India and my experience there gave birth to the metering school that we have in Nigeria today.
“I will implore all the graduands to be good ambassadors of this school and spread the good news. Im sure that they will not be short in demand, the country needs them more now, he said.
Balogun said that this will enable unemployed youths to benefit from the other value addition of the Federal Government initiative to roll out some meters to consumers.
He said that, beside the facts that the initiative will enhance manufacturing sector of the power sector, the meter factories the extension is to develop manpower skills to be able to install the meter.
He said that the free metering installation programme traning for unemployed youths is selected from the six Geo-Political zone of the country, which the first phase will take two weeks with offer to give certificate to all trained youths.
“MOMAS as a key stakeholder in the downstream of the power sector, we see the initiative as viable way to create employment opportunities for our youths and timing is unprecedented given the fact that one of the complaints by aggrieved youths doing the recent #EndSARS# protest is unemployment.”
“MOMAS also identified that there is urgent need to train more Nigeria on electricity meter installation to compliment the Presidential directive,” he said.
Balogun said: “This is our own way of contributing our quota at ensuring that the initiative is successful. We have decided to train selected number of graduates across all the six Geo-political zones in the country on metering technology through our MOMAS metering school for free. In addition to the training, we shall provide the trainees with kits, this will contain all the relevant tools for electricity meter installation, considering quantity of the approved metres.”
“There will be enough jobs for the youths to do and we would also engage them in the execution of some of our projects, ” MOMAS boss added.
The MOMAS helmsman said the there is need for government to consider manpower skills in the installation of the meters as this will also go a long way to develop the youth and create job opportunities for them.
He, however, lauded government for encouraging local capacity and local content development in Nigeria, adding that also informed MOMAS to take it upon themselves to develop manpower capability among unemployed youths
