Mass meter manufacturing’ll help FG address power challenges – Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima says mass manufacturing of electricity metres can help the Federal Government to solve the problem of electricity in Nigeria.

Shettima stated this when he inaugurated an electric energy meter manufacturing factory in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The Vice President also inaugurated other projects, including a radio station, Ijele 93.1FM; the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation’s (SEOF) Touch-A-Life Housing Units donated to widows; Phase 3 of the housing scheme; and its social investment programme.

Inaugurating Advanced Energy Management Solutions, an electricity meter manufacturing company, Shettima said its operations would assist the Federal Government in its efforts to address power challenges in the country.

He said, “We commend this initiative as we commission the factory to the glory of God and the use of humanity. This will help reduce the shortage of prepaid metres in the country.

“We believe that the establishment of the factory will help resolve the power supply challenges facing the country by addressing the critical issue of a very high metering gap among consumers.

“It is also a direct response to the call by the Federal Government for local and foreign investors to invest in Nigeria, create jobs, and stimulate economic activities all around the country.”

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Energy Management Solutions Limited (AEMSL), Okechukwu Onyejiuwa, said the factory can produce 1.4 million meters annually and, at the same time, produce single-phase and three-phase as well as maximum demand meters.

He also revealed that the factory would create about 500 direct jobs, comprising primarily engineers and technicians, as well as finance and administration professionals.

He said, “In addition to the direct jobs, we estimate that there will also be over 4,000 indirect jobs created by the activities of this company.

“The operations of this factory will stimulate economic activities in the country, especially given the high-tech nature of the skills required for the manufacturing process.

“It will also conserve scarce foreign exchange through a reduction in the cost of imported raw materials, the development of local raw material sources and the potential for export to other countries within Africa and other parts of the world in the near future.”