REVEALED: We can close 10 million metre gap – AMMON

The Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria, AMMON has urged the government to reverse the proposed use of $155m World Bank loan for importation of metres.

The association urged the government to channel the fund to local industries to catalyse the economy, saying that it can close the 10 million metre gaps in 18 months, if given the needed support.

The treasurer of the association and CEO Holley Metering Limited, Mr. Ifeanyi Okeke, who made the position known in Abuja, insisted that the proposed tender for bidding if carried out on Tuesday, July 11, would be inimical to the local content policy of government.

Okeke made the position known while speaking on the proposed opening of bidding process for the World Bank project on Tuesday, July 11th 2023.

He said about 20 out of 40 local metre manufacturing companies received award by November last years which has not begun.

And despite the challenges, he said close to 1million metres were rolled out between December 2020 to June 2021.

“We are not against World Bank funded programe. All we need to do is to direct the money where it will catalyse the economy.

” If the money is given to local manufacturers, it will be utilised and benefit the country.

“We want government to stop this tender metering. It is structured to catalyse the local factories and value addition.

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“The federal ministry of finance and NERC are supporting us but they have conflicting wants. So, we urge government to do the right thing.”

The Secretary General of the association, Engr. Durosola Omogbenigun contended that, “should federal government goe ahead with the bidding process, the decision would be inimical to the growth and progress so far made in local content policy, backward integration and technology transfer.”

Recall that the former President Muhammadu Buhari had in February 2018 signed the Executive Order No. 5 to adopt and promote the local content.

The Order mandates every public organization to give priority to local products before foreign brands.

Omogbenigun, said the proposed World Bank $155 loan if channelled to local metre production would galvanise the local industry towards job creation, wealth creation and closing the 10 million gap in metre supply.

The $155 million World Bank loan by federal government is earmarked for bridging the over eight million metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Market.

According to the manufacturers, the government has to urgently halt attempts by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN to open tenders for the project.

He accused the TCN of not following through in the promise of support it made to their members on award of contract to produce 4million metres since November 2022, noting that the planned bidding for the deployment of World Bank loan would send many of its members packing.