The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has flagged off two weeks training for a batch of 142 electrical inspectors just as it disclosed the probe of a recent fire at a transmission transformer in Lagos.
Managing Director of NEMSA, Engr. Peter Ewesor during the training at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Abuja on Tuesday said after a preliminary check on the incidence which occurred recently at Alagbon substation of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) showed it was due to equipment protection failure.
He said, “We have done a preliminary visit to find out what went wrong and it was as a result of protection failure. There are protection systems that should operate but they did not operate as they should. We need to do further probing to find if there are other external issues that caused the incident,” Ewesor said.
On the training, Ewesor who is also the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation (CEIF) said it was to build specialised technical on standards and installations of meters and other instrument.
He said the first batch of the training was held in Lagos a forth night ago where 87 of the electrical inspectors were trained while the ongoing training in Abuja was for 55 senior trainees.
“The first group comprises younger engineers but these one is for the senior engineers who are expected to carryout inspection of all categories of electrical installations in generation, transmission and distribution,” Ewesor said.
He tasked the trainees to make the best use of the training which has the approval of the National Assembly and that they want to see NEMSA officers who are better equipped and have dynamic knowledge.
He said there are four value chains in power sector comprising generation, transmission, distribution and utilisation (consumption); “We need to ensure these subsectors are properly policed, checked and monitored to ensure that they deliver safe, reliable and uninterrupted power supply,” he added.