Meter Manufacturers Decry High Charges

The Electricity Meters
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria  (EMMAN) has decried the high charges imposed on its members by the National Meter Test Station.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos recently, the Executive secretary of the association, Mr Muideen Ibrahim, said such high charges on prototype meters produced by members of the association would discourage further testing by the association’s produced meters with the National Meter test station.
Ibrahim bemoaned a situation where tests for single phase meters was increased from N25,000 to N150,000 while three phase meter skyrocketed from N50,000 to N200,000.
He said the fees currently being charged were not put into consideration before the price meters were bench marked.
The EMMAN scribe said members of the Association were seriously experiencing  untold hardship as a result of the new regime of meter testing charges.
He called on the Minister of Power to intervene by ensuring that meers produced by members of the association are tested free of charge for the next  five years while a mechanism  be urgently put in place by the Federal Ministry of Power for a downward review of the fees currently charged by the National Meter testing  station.
He said standing work order and upfront payment should be made for the meter manufacturers in the country in order to keep their factories running at optimal capacity.
Ibrahim also called on the National Assembly to give accelerated hearing on the regulations covering the National Content Development for the Nigerian Electricity supply industry (Local Content ) on power to become law.
He said passage of the bill into law would help take the power sector to a different level and the accruable gains that will emanate from the effective implementation of the Local Content Law on power sector would improve power generation in the country.
Ibrahim also called for a special intervention fund for the Meter Manufacturers  Association that would help the Associations members to sell locally produced meters  to DISCOs at very competitive price like the ones produced in China.