Fed Govt to demolish houses under power lines

The Nigeria Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) said yesterday that the Federal Government would demolish structures under power lines.

This followed the government policy, which prohibits the building of houses under power lines.

The Managing Director, Peter Ewesor, who addressed reporters after declaring open the induction and capacity building for 70 NEMSA engineers undergoing training at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Abuja, said owing to the implementation of the policy, the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had begun the demolition of such structures across the country.

He said state governments had inaugurated committees to remove the buildings.

Ewesor, an engineer, who is also the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation,  said the exercise was to discourage people from living under power lines.

He said: “Recently, the Federal Government made a policy of ensuring that all the infrastructure and structures built within the right of way are removed.

“As a first step, it is to ensure that all the infrastructure within the right of way, either within or under the power transmission lines, are first and foremost disconnected. We have followed up with the DisCos and Transmission Company of Nigeria to ensure that as a first step, these premises are disconnected to deter people from staying under power lines.

“State governments are setting up committees to ensure that even beyond the disconnection of the premises from the power supply system, they are going to be removed. These committees are already working. They will ensure that these structures are removed from under power lines.”

On meter, Ewesor said the agency had three meter test stations in Kaduna, Oshodi and Port Harcourt that were being remodelled to catch up with modern technology.

He said in order to cope with the influx of meters that would flood the industry as a result of the Meter Asset Provider regulation of the Federal Government, “we are creating a meter testing station in Enugu, which is going to be completed by the end of this year. We expect that in the first quarter of next year, it will begin operation. We are equally starting the one in Kano to ensure we capture the meters coming into the country.” - The Nation