Reps committee seeks patronage for 3.6m capacity metering factory in Akwa Ibom

The House of Representatives Committee on Power has expressed satisfaction with the quality of meters produced by Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited (MSMSL) in Akwa Ibom State.

Chairman of the Committee, Victor Nwokolo, who led his committee members on a visit to the company, said MSMSL, with an annual production capacity of 3.6 million, can bridge the metering gap in Nigeria if supported.

Nwokolo maintained that the federal government can support indigenous meter manufacturing companies by discouraging the importation of electricity meters into the country.

He recommended the imposition of special tariffs and the removal of waivers for imported meters, adding that the aim is to boost local production, create jobs, preserve the value of the naira, and stimulate the economy.

He acknowledged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has achieved giant strides in the power sector, adding that the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) was doing well in its assignment.

The law maker said, “I am impressed with the quantity and quality of meters produced by Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited. I want to specially commend the immediate past governor of the state, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, for creating the enabling environment for the company to thrive here.

“The new agenda of the President Bola Tinubu administration is to encourage local investors. To achieve this, we must conserve our foreign exchange and increase the value of the Naira by patronizing local manufacturers.

“The Nigerian Local Content Law must be considered. It is not going to be business as usual by allowing the Chinese to bring in finished products. The negative effect of bringing in meters and other finished products is that—how do our teeming youths get employment?

“When those imported meters get bad, who repairs them for you? Let’s patronize our local manufacturers. When they get bad, we can return them to the Discos. All they need to do is put them through their computers, get them repaired, and return them to you.

“There is no point in giving waivers to the Chinese to import meters or to whoever brings the products. There are usually tariffs and penalties issued to people who import cars into the country.”

Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited, Tolulope Ogunkolade, lamented over the non-patronage of locally manufactured meters, adding that “Chinese companies were allocated 1.3 million meters to import into Nigeria while local manufacturing companies were sidelined.”