Regulation - NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

COREN, NEMSA sign MoU to enhance regulation in power sector

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Tue, 2025

Metro

COREN, NEMSA sign MoU to enhance regulation in power sector

182 total views today

By Angela Atabo

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance collaboration in engineering regulation in the power sector.

The President of COREN, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, at the signing of the MoU on Monday in Abuja, said the pact aimed to promote synergy in the regulation of engineering practices in the power sector.

Abubakar said COREN, in the last 55 years, had the burden of regulating engineering alone in this country.

“We did our best, but as Nigeria evolved and developed to catch up with the evolution of engineering.

“Nigeria also was very alive in establishing regulators that will man the subsectors of the economy.

“One of the key sub sectors of our economy is the power sector. We saw the establishment of at least two credible regulators in the power sector, which are NEC and NEMSA, that have been assigned some aspect of what COREN was assigned 50 years ago.

“So COREN needs to go out there and establish synergy and working relationships to be able to identify the regulatory gaps and fill them.”

According to Abubakar, Nigeria has about 32 regulators in various sectors, and COREN was working to establish synergy with them and not to work in silos or see each other as rivals.

Abubakar said the aim was to create a very robust regulatory ecosystem in Nigeria.

The president said that Nigeria would get value for money, resilient infrastructure, reliable services, competent practitioners and firms that have been certified before they can undertake services.

He commended NEMSA for the partnership, adding that the MoU signalled synergy and COREN would extend an invitation to NEMSA to participate in the area of regulation in the power sector.

Abubakar listed areas of partnership to include the code and standard committee, the engineering, regulation, monitoring and enforcement committee, investigation and inspection, and the disciplinary tribunal, among others.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEMSA, Engr Aliyu Tahir, said NEMSA was established with the statutory mandate to enforce technical standards and regulations in the power sector.

Tahir, who is also the Electrical Inspector of the Federation, said NEMSA is also saddled with the responsibility to carry out electrical inspections, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations, meters and equipment geared towards safety safeguarding lives and properties.

He said to achieve the mandate effectively, NEMSA is empowered to collaborate with relevant agencies and stakeholders.

“Today’s MoU with COREN is therefore a significant milestone, one that formalises a strategic partnership essential to our shared goals.

“This collaboration will offer numerous mutual benefits, like reinforcing the requirement for all personnel and firms applying for NEMSA certification to be duly registered with COREN for professional accountability and competence.

“It will facilitate the exchange of data on disciplinary actions and sanctions and uphold standards by enhancing the quality of certification and practices with the renewable energy and broader electrical engineering sectors.

“It will promote skilled manpower development and engage stakeholders to address engineering challenges and also ensure COREN is actively represented in NEMSA’s competency certification panels,” he said.

Tahir said the partnership would foster transparency, fairness and shared responsibility in the certification process.

“It is my firm belief that this MoU will foster a robust and mutually beneficial relationship between the two institutions.

“Through this partnership, we will be better positioned to deliver our respective mandates, most importantly the protection of lives and property within the Nigerian electricity supply industry and beyond.”

The COREN Registrar, Prof. Okorie Uche, said that quacks were taking over engineering jobs because people do not actually recognise who is a quack because everybody answers ‘engineer’.

“At the end of the day, once there is a collapse in any place, people will start saying, ‘Oh, Nigerian engineer,’ but when you find out those who are actually involved are not licensed, they are quacks.

“So COREN has established 11 sectors that we are setting our vernaculars to ensure that we are doing our job, and we will collaborate to ensure these gaps are covered; others will follow.

“I want to bet you Nigeria will be better for it because the quacks will definitely be cleared for the real people who will do the right thing to participate. (NAN)

Edited by Peter Amine

FCTA, UN Women move to strengthen childcare services in FCT

Philip Daniel Yatai
May, Thu, 2025

Health

FCTA, UN Women move to strengthen childcare services in FCT

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By Philip Yatai

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in collaboration with UN Women has taken steps to strengthen childcare licensing, regulation, and service delivery in the FCT.

The Mandate Secretary of FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Dr Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi disclosed this at a training of officials of the secretariats and other social workers on childcare services in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training had participants from various key players in the child welfare sector, including government representatives, childcare service providers and international partners.

Benjamins-Laniyi said that the goal was to build the capacity of the workers with a view to upscale the standards of operations in the childcare ecosystem of the FCT.

She said that the training was also organised to review existing structures, identify gaps in the childcare framework, and proffer sustainable solutions for the betterment of childcare services across.

She added that the training, organised in collaboration with UN Women and Caring Africa, became necessary toward adopting global best practices in providing standardized childcare Services in the Territory.

“We are here to interface directly with experts in childcare services to train and retrain our staff with standard modules of registering and administering childcare services within our regulatory framework that oversees operations of orphanage homes in the FCT.

“It is believed that this gesture will go a long way to upgrade our capacity and refine our approach to our services, especially, in an ever-evolving world of childcare economy,” she said.

Mrs. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, acknowledged the grassroots impact of childcare and economic implications.

Eyong appreciated Benjamin-Laniyi for her dedication and continuous engagement to protecting the rights of women and children in the FCT and beyond.

Also, the Head of Child Development Department in the secretariat, Mr Idris Yahaya, said that the training would significantly improve the existing standard of operations concerning childcare.

Yayaha, a Deputy Director, added that the move would, in the long run, improve childcare service delivery across the territory.

“When a child is entrusted to care givers, for whatever reason, it entails all care on the child’s health, environment, safety, cognitive development, education and of course, record-keeping.

“Therefore, as a regulatory body, the training will improve our knowledge on childcare toward a more standardised and improved service delivery,” he said.

He disclosed that 136 orphanages and homes had been licensed and awaiting ministerial approval for crèche regulation, while the Development Control Department inspects buildings designated for new crèches.

On her part, the founder and Chief Executive Officer, Care Gap/Caring Africa, Ms Blessing Adesiyan, commended the Women Affairs Secretariat for reviewing the Guidelines for Operation of Orphanage in the FCT.

According to Adesiyan, the training will enhance effective implementation of the guidelines when approved.

She said that one of the quality indicators of good childcare was healthy development through promotion of emotional security, cognitive skills, and social interaction.

“There is also the need for a safe and clean environment with emphasis on hygiene, safety, and child-appropriate facilities, while qualified caregivers constitute trained staff with an understanding of child development and positive discipline.

“Engaging activities such as age-appropriate learning and play, outdoor engagement, and structured routines are also critical, including appropriate caregiver-child ratio to ensure personalised attention.

“There is also the need for parental involvement to encourage communication between caregivers and parents.” she said. (NAN)

Edited by Yakubu Uba

Public-Private Partnership regulation effective driver of economic growth

Philip Daniel Yatai
Dec, Mon, 2024

Features

Public-Private Partnership regulation effective driver of economic growth

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By Chijioke Okoronkwo, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

By many accounts, Public-Private Partnership (PPP), if properly harnessed, can be a veritable driver of economic growth.

Nonetheless, experts say proper regulation is paramount in order to achieve efficiency in PPP arrangements.

Recently, the Federal Government directed that all PPP agreements should adhere to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act and its guidelines..

The directive mandated all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with the National Policy on PPP (N4P) and the ICRC Act of 2005 in their 2025 budget proposals concerning PPP arrangements.

The government directed all MDAs to ensure that they align with the provisions of the ICRC Establishment Act (2005) in the preparation and submission of their respective 2025 budget proposals as it relates to PPPs.

“Signing PPP-related Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), Memoranda of Association or contract instruments without following the provisions of the ICRC Act constitutes a violation of the law,’’ the directive reads in part.

The ICRC Act states inter alia: “As from the commencement of this Act, any Federal Government Ministry, Agency, Corporation or body involved in the financing, construction, operation or maintenance of infrastructure, by whatever name called, may enter into a contact with or grant concession to any duly pre-qualified project proponent in the private sector.

“This is for the financing, construction, operation or maintenance of any infrastructure that is financially viable or any development facility of the Federal Government in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

“This Act applies to investment and development projects relating to any infrastructure of any Federal Government Ministry, Agency, Corporation or body.

“Every Federal Government Ministry, Agency, Corporation or body shall prioritise its infrastructure projects and such priority projects may be qualified for concession under this Act.

“The projects mentioned in Subsection (1) of this Section shall be submitted to the Federal Executive Council for approval on the recommendation of the relevant Sector, Ministry or Agency prior to entering into any contract under Section 1 of this Act.

“In entering into any contract or granting any concession under Section 1 of this Act, the Federal Government Ministry, Agency, Corporation or body shall ensure that the project proponent possesses the financial capacity, relevant expertise and experience in undertaking such infrastructure development or maintenance.’’

Stakeholders are of the view that to optimise the benefits of PPP, all requisite regulatory frameworks must be adhered to, just as the ICRC is staying the course.

Dr Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, Director-General, ICRC, on assumption of office in July, vowed to streamline processes required to deliver Public Private Partnerships (PPP) projects.

This is with a view to accelerate infrastructure development and bridge the attendant gaps and stimulate the economy.

He spoke at a strategic retreat held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom , where he rolled out a six-point policy direction as the new helmsman of the ICRC.

Ewalefoh, said his policy direction aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s charge, added that because of infrastructure gaps in Nigeria, PPP was required in every sector; hence the need for critical steps in advancing its delivery.

He listed the key points of his policy direction to include: Innovative Financing, Service Delivery Optimisation, Project Categorisation, Time Bound Delivery of Projects, Inter-Agency Collaboration as well as Strategic Partnerships.

“With the gap that we have in Nigeria, we need PPPs in almost every area and PPPs go beyond building infrastructure; service is a very key component of Infrastructure building.

“Even if we don’t build infrastructure, if we optimise the existing ones, what we will get will be novel, and the impact we will create will be so huge.’’

Ewalefoh, who is revved up for action, hinted that he was already in talks with potential investors who were interested in knowing how safe and profitable investments would be as well as a possible timeline for delivering the projects.

Citing the Nigeria Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP), he said that the nation’s infrastructure was weak and required financing to revolutionise the economy.

“I am going to be involved in strategic partnerships; I will work closely with ministers, permanent secretaries and chief executive officers of agencies; I am going to lead from the front on most of these partnerships and collaborations.’’

On service delivery, Ewalefoh said that part of his direction would be to optimise the processes of the commission to focus on service delivery.

On already existing PPP projects, the director-general said that the commission would evaluate all concession contracts to ensure the projects were performing optimally, while ensuring the projects were a win-win for both the private investor and the government.

On project categorisation, the director-general reiterated his desire to categorise projects as a means of ensuring more efficient project delivery within improved timelines.

He said that the commission would, within the ambit of the law, resolve all encumbrances that hampered the execution of projects so long as such projects were bankable and viable, important to the Nigerian people and delivered value for money.

In line with a presidential directive, Ewalefoh said that ICRC would begin the issuance of the Outline Business Case (OBC) Certificate of Compliance and the Full Business Case (FBC) Certificate of Compliance within seven days.

More so, in compliance with ICRC’s mandate, Ewalefoh said that the commission would pursue to logical conclusion all PPP projects that had long been approved by the FEC but had yet to commence.

The director-general gave the assurance at a meeting with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola.

Ewalefoh informed the minister that some of the pioneer PPP projects approved as far back as 2006 were under the purview of the ministry and would be re-evaluated.

In his submission, Oyetola attributed most of the projects that had stalled to lack of access to financing due to the dearth of capacity of the private parties.

The aviation sector is one area where effective implementation of PPP could prove vital.

In its bid to unlock the economic potential of the aviation sector through PPPs, the Federal Government has established task forces in ICRC and the Ministry of Aviation.

This was the outcome of Ewelafoh’s courtesy visit to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo.

Ewalefoh, who highlighted the importance of aviation in galvanizing other sectors to foster the economic potentials of the country, said that the commission had set up its task force to fast-track investment in PPPs.

No doubt, the ICRC is not resting on its oars; it has continued to maximise the multi-sectoral nature of its mandate.

Recently, it honoured the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as PPP icon for attracting over 500 million dollars investment through PPPs.

Ewalefoh, during a visit to the interior minister, said that the Federal Government, through the ICRC, would conduct an audit of all PPP projects.

This move is to ascertain their performance as well as ensure that all the projects were insured as statutorily stipulated in the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission Establishment Act, 2005.

He is upbeat on the 3.5 billion dollars Bakassi Deep Seaport construction.

Ewalefoh, at a High-level Stakeholders’ meeting said that the construction of the 3.5 billion dollars Bakassi Deep Seaport would commence soon under the administration of Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River.

He assured that the project will be completed in record time.

Deserving no less attention in the effort to deploy effective PPP implementation for national growth is science and technology, a critical sector.

Ewalefoh, at a meeting with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji, said the Federal Government would consider using private sector funds through PPP as an option for certain key projects in the sector.

Nnaji, on his part, said that his ministry served as a key enabler of economic growth.

Both parties expressed optimism that ICRC would partner the ministry in doing things right and enabling it to forge a better outlook for most of its projects.

More so, Ewalefoh weighed in on the implications of PPP for the nation’s struggling power sector.

He spoke as a high-level panelist at the recently concluded 30th anniversary of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) with the theme, “Accelerating Infrastructure Development.’’

Ewalefoh said that PPP can solve the infrastructure challenges being experienced in the power sector.

He said that PPP was the best option to build new power infrastructure and also optimise existing ones.

“We have a lot of infrastructure gaps in Nigeria today across all the sectors from transportation, energy, health, housing and other sectors.

“The only way we can bridge the infrastructure gaps that we are having in this country is to harness private sector finance and expertise in building and managing infrastructure,’’ he said.

Still on power, Ewelefoh recently deliberated with the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, on critical PPP issues on the sector. Abuja.

The ICRC boss said that plans were underway by the Federal Government to source from the private sector, part of the 10 billion dollars required to provide regular electricity across Nigeria within the next five to 10 years.

The duo agreed that in view of the funding and technology required to advance the sector, it had become imperative to seek private sector input through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

In his response, Adelabu commended the D-G for the initiative to visit the ministry with the proposal of advancing investment in the power sector through PPPs.

“For us to achieve 24 hours power supply across Nigeria in the next 5 to 10 years, there is a minimum funding requirement of about 10 billion dollars in the next 10 years.

“The government cannot afford that, when there are other critical sectors in need of funding,’’ he said.

The maritime sector is not left out.

The ICRC has also shown commitment to synergising with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to unlock PPP potential in maritime sector

According to Ewelefoh, the potential for NIMASA is huge and untapped; hence, the need for collaboration.

ICRC also recognises the importance of insurance in PPP.

Against the foregoing, ICRC has partnered the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to mandate concessionaires of government assets to procure insurance covers for the assets under PPP arrangements.

Worthy of note, critical stakeholders at the sub-national level have also underscored the pivotal role PPP plays in national growth.

The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) recently called for collaborative efforts to scale up PPPs to address the infrastructure gap in Nigeria.

AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq, Governor of Kwara, and Chairman of NGF, made the submission at the 2nd Joint PPP Units Consultative Forum (3PUCF) and the Nigeria PPP Network (NPPPN).

Abdulrazaq, represented by Abdulateef Shittu, Director-General, NGF said that there was a 100 billion dollars infrastructure deficit at the subnational level.

“Overall, at the federal and state levels, we have over a 200 billion dollars infrastructure deficit, and because the government cannot foot the bills alone we need collaboration from the private sector,” he said.

Stakeholders say the worthwhile regulation as being provided by ICRC is fundamental to maximising the enormous potential of PPP for national growth and development (NANFeatures)

**If used please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria