Reps move to axe NDE, NEMSA, demand 5 years performance report

.’Agencies sucking blood of Nigerians’       

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating Overlapping Functions of Government Agencies on Thursday said that the National Directorate of Employment NDE and the National Electricity Management Services Agency NEMSA are not living up to their mandate of providing employment to teeming unempled Nigerians and there is weak metering system by electricity distribution companies in the power sector.

The House Ad-hoc Committee also demanded a five year performance assessment report from the NDE for it to justify its existence in line with the mandate of the probe panel.

Chairman of the House Committee  Hon.Victor Mela gave the ruling at an investigative hearing where NEMSA, NDE NELMC and  NAPTI were invited grilled by Committee said that the agencies have not lived to the expectations of citizens.

He informed that the House Committee was inaugurated by the House Speaker Hon.Femi Gbajabiamila to investigate the issue  of overlapping mandate of some of these government agencies adding that there is need to merge some of the agencies.

At the hearing Managing Director of NEMSA Engr.Aliyu Tukur said that the agency was established in 2015 by federal government to ensure that there is reliable electricity supply in the nation’s power industry.

He also said that the agency is mandated by laws to ensure that materials used in the industry are of confirmed technical specifications adding that there agency is in-charge of  of quality metering.

However, some Committee members as Hon Adedeji Olajide and  Hon.Zacharia Yanpan expressed displeasure over their overall performance in the electricity industry.

They argued that the agency has overlapping mandate with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria SON and lamented that government is facing huge challenge in the funding of them

Hon Olajide said that the agency is sucking the blood of Nigerian citizens and should be merged with other agencies performing similar functions.

The Director-General NDE Mr Abubakar Nuhu said that the agency is mandated by law to provide employment to unempled Nigerians and vulnerable persons residing in Nigeria.

He said that the agency have presence

in all the states of the federation and local council areas and had been providing employment and skills for unempled Nigerians in line with the mandate.

But the Committee Chairman Hon.Mela and Hon.Simon Karu said that there is massive unemployment and the agency had not really lived up to the responsibility.

Hon.Karu immediately moved a motion that the agency should provide a five years performance assessment report on employment generation or it should be recommended for merger by the panel.

The lawmaker also threatens zero allocation to the National Power Training Institute in the 2023 Budget for its failure to address issues of power failure.

The Chairman Hon.Mela and committee members adopted the motion and gave the NDE one week to submit the report.