The House of Representatives has condemned the continued importation of electricity meters into the country.
Naijaonpoint reports that the House Committee on Power said continued importation of meters from China was affecting the economy.
The Committee’s Chairman, Victor Nwokolo, stated this when he led his committee members on a visit to a private metering company in Akwa Ibom State.
According to him, the company with an annual production capacity of 3.6 million, could bridge the Metering gap in the country if supported.
“I am impressed with the quantity and quality of meters produced. I want to specially commend the immediate past governor of the state, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, for creating the enabling environment for the company to thrive here.
“The new agenda of the President Tinubu administration is to encourage local investors. To achieve this, we must conserve our foreign exchange, increase the value of the Naira by patronizing local manufacturers,” he said.
Nwokolo noted that imported meters cannot be repaired, which he said was not good for the country’s growing economy.
He stressed the need to protect local manufacturers by imposing a tariff on imported meters. He stated that importing meters affects employment and job creation for Nigerians.
“The Nigerian Local Content Law must be considered. It is not going to be business as usual by allowing Chinese bring in finished products. The negative effect of bringing in meters and other finished products is that how do our teeming youths get employment?
“When those imported meters get bad who repairs them for you? Let’s patronize our local manufacturers. When they get bad, we can return them to the Discos. All they need to do is put them through their computers, get them repaired and returned to you.
“There is no point giving waivers to the Chinese to import metres or whoever brings the products. There are usually tariffs and penalties issued to people who import cars into the country,” he added.