By Paul Effiong, Abuja
National President of Licenced Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria, LECAN, Chief Vitus Ikenna has advocated stricter regulatory oversight and professional compliance in Nigeria’s renewable energy sector.
Ikenna made the appeal yesterday through the National Public Relations Officer, Engr Abdullahi Ibrahim, during a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy.
According to the group, they have the capacity to monitor all electrical projects and renewable contracts across the 774 local government areas in the country.
In a presentation to lawmakers and stakeholders, the LECAN president also described the invitation to make a presentation as a “great privilege and honour,” maintaining that their association is committed to ensuring safety, quality and value for money in the execution of green energy projects across Nigeria.
The public hearing, according to the Chairman of the House Committee on Renewable Energy, Afam Ogene, is probing three critical areas, which includes the domiciliation of green energy projects with inappropriate entities.
The panel is also probing foreign grants and investments received in the renewable energy sector from 2015 till date, as well as the utilisation of renewable energy in ministries, departments and agencies.
Ikenna, who stressed that these issues are central to safeguarding public resources and ensuring that renewable energy initiatives deliver sustainable benefits to Nigerians, informed that LECAN derived its legitimacy from Section 176(m) of the Electricity Act 2023 (as amended), which mandates the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, NEMSA, to issue competency certificates to electrical installation personnel.
According to him, membership of his association comprises certified electrical practitioners operating across the 36 states and 774 local government areas.
The group, he explained, had been working closely with NEMSA and the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, to enforce statutory technical standards and promote the use of quality electrical materials and equipment.
Speaking on the domiciliation of green energy projects with inappropriate entities, the LECAN president warned that assigning projects to unqualified bodies could result in substandard installations, financial losses and safety hazards.
He told lawmakers that renewable energy systems, if improperly installed, pose serious risk to lives and property.
He therefore urged the committee to ensure that only competent, NEMSA-certified electrical contractors are engaged to execute government-funded renewable energy projects across Nigeria.
As part of its recommendations, LECAN proposed that the committee issue a Renewable Energy Quality Installation Directive to all MDAs currently utilising or planning to adopt renewable energy solutions.
They also offered to partner MDAs by providing advisory services on quality and standards, assisting in the assessment of technical submissions and procurement processes, supplying certified contractors and technicians, and supervising, as well as monitoring installations to ensure compliance with safety and regulatory benchmarks.
