MOMAS, NEDC empower 150 youths to bridge Nigeria’s metering gap
By Innocent Obasi
Momas Electrical Meters Manufacturing Company Limited (MEMMCOL) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) have empowered 150 youths in the North-Eastern part of the country in their effort to close the country’s metering gap currently put at about eight million.
Kola Balogun,chairman, MOMAS Group, disclosed this while speaking at the graduation ceremony of NEDC beneficiaries from MOMAS Metering school.
Balogun highlighted the need for Nigeria to boost local capacity in order to produce metres to meet the country’s growing demand. He said this need led his company to establish the MEMMCOL metering school (MMS) to bridge the huge deficit.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s power sector is being threatened by the deficiency of skills in the meter sector and warned that if not addressed urgently, the country will not be able to sustain its future.
The chairman MOMAS Group called for the resuscitation of values among youths because it is the only way the country could positively change its narrative.
Balogun also informed that the German government is planning to support his company with funds to set up a bigger school.
Furthermore, he said the metering school will be partnering with the Minnesota State University to extend all its programmes to innovations and designs.
“We are not just all about technicalities, but about values. We want to change the perception about Nigeria. We are skilled, but we are losing value because the system is not taking care of its citizens,” Balogun said.
Also speaking at the event, Mohammed Alkali, the managing director and chief executive officer, NEDC, said the commision engaged the services of MOMAS to train 150 youths from the North East on the theoretical aspects. He noted that practical skills and regulations of energy metres and electrical building installations were part of its youth empowerment programme.
Alkali,who was represented by Fatima Ciroma, deputy general manager, education, NEDC, said the training specifically aims to produce certified installers and technicians for electricity meter installations to meet the demand of Meter Asset Provider (MAP) and National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) as approved by the federal government.
He noted the commission’s partnership with MOMAS covered tuition, accommodation, feeding, upkeep, personal protective equipment (PPE), customised tool bags with tools, course materials and extra-curricular activities,while the training school provided the technical component.
Alkali said NEDC is committed to all initiatives that can enhance the redevelopment and revitalization of the North East, saying that the key to recovery in the region lies in the quality of human resource the North East is able to provide in the long term.
Flora Yuguda, a beneficiary of the programme,on behalf of the graduates, commended MOMAS and NEDC for the initiative, saying it has upgraded her status, pledging to do much more if given the financial assistance required to excel in her field.