Indigenous electricity meter manufacturing company, MOMAS, has offered free training on prepaid meter installation for 300 unemployed youths to complement the Federal Government’s mass metering programme.
The Chairman of MOMAS Mr Kola Balogun, said in a statement on Sunday in Lagos, that the step was part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility in building sustainable human capacity development of the youth.
He said the training will commence at the MOMAS Metering School Campus located at the Momas Factory, Mowe, Ogun State, on Monday.
“The free metering installation training programme is for selected unemployed youths from the six geo-political zones of the country. The first phase will take two weeks and offer certificates to all trained youths”.
According to him, the training will complement the distribution of six million free prepaid meters by federal government under its the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP),
He said the meters would be deployed to accelerate revenue generation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NASI) as well as eradicate estimated billings for consumers.
“MOMAS, as a key stakeholder in the downstream of the power sector, see the initiative as a viable way to create employment opportunities for our youths. The timing is unprecedented, given the fact that one of the complaints by the aggrieved youths during the recent #EndSARS protest is unemployment. MOMAS also identified that there is an urgent need to train more Nigerians on electricity meter installation to compliment the presidential directive. This is our own way of contributing our quota to ensuring that the initiative is successful. We have decided to train a selected number of graduates across the six geo-political zones in the country on metering technology through our MOMAS metering school for free”.
Balogun said in addition to the training, MOMAS shall provide the trainees with kits that would contain all the relevant tools for electricity meter installation, considering the quantity of the approved meters.
He said MOMAS will also engage the youth in the execution of some of its projects.
He lauded the government for encouraging local capacity and local content development in Nigeria, which, he said, informed MOMAS to develop manpower capability among unemployed youths.
“MOMAS is offering the training free of charge without paying a dime. While subsequent phase will attract payment. This is just to encourage the youths and also showcase the opportunity that is available”.
Balogun urged the government at all levels to support the initiative in building local capacity and manpower skills among youths.
He said more than 15 state governors had indicated interest to enroll their youths at MOMAS factory to benefit from the company’s free gesture to promote manpower skills in the country.
Recall that NMMP has commenced distribution of free electricity prepaid meters to Nigerians with simultaneous launch of the scheme in Kano, Kaduna, Eko and Ikeja DISCO franchise areas.
The programme was initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure mass metering and end the problem of estimated billings in the electricity sector.
