Why electrocution cases are on the rise – NAPTIN boss
Mr Ahmed Bolaji Nagode is the acting Director General of National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN). Mr Nagode who took over from the pioneer DG, Engr Reuben Okeke, in this exclusive interview spoke of how he is repositioning the institute to target foreign markets. will equally lead to the self-sustainability of NAPTIN. What we are looking at in the long run is to be financially capable so we can wean ourselves off the government especially in terms of our Operational expenditure (OPEX) and Capital expenditure (CAPEX).
We are also working with African Development Bank (AfDB) through a project to develop NAPTIN to a world class training institute. On this our permanent site, we have projects for school of generation, transmission and distribution. An AfDB study for NAPTIN shows that there is a potential for us to take these training higher. By the time we are done and with our marketing strategy, we could conduct simultaneous training for 1,000 trainees in our centres. When we calculate annually, it will be a big number and will turn in revenue for NAPTIN.
What experience do you have in power sector training?
I have worked in the power sector for over 25 years. I specialised then in Human Resource, Career Development with focus on training and development. In the defunct NEPA/ PHCN, I was heading the training arm of the Human Resources department and it was based on training and performance. During this time, I developed my competency with leading international firms like Accenture, Akintola-Deloitte and others. I equally participated in the committee that worked on what is now known as NAPTIN. We worked with some directors in the power ministry to achieve what we have in the petroleum sector, the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI).
When NAPTIN came on board in 2009, I worked as the head of training. Because of my experience and passion, the former Director General, Engr. Reuben Okeke, called for me to join NAPTIN and in 2013, I was promoted to Director, Business Services, which is the leading department. I have always been the second in command and when he was to retire, he deemed it that I should take over the affairs which I did in December 2016. Since then I have been working to coordinate the affairs of NAPTIN.
What have been your achievements since you took over in 2016?
Since then, we have been working to consolidate on the gains of the former management. The focus during inception was to build infrastructures, have equipment that will help us in training activities. We are to equally build faculty and ensure that the curricula are up to date in standard. What we have done is to consolidate and improve where needed. For instance, we have it that for every appropriation year, we are going to improve on our structure and that is what we have done this year. We are making arrangement to get a simulator for one of our training centres, to also build hostel for Afam Regional Training Centre.
However, we collectively agreed under the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing on a Medium Term Sector Strategies (MTSS) under which every agency under the ministry will have certain deliverables to ensure that we meet our goals. For NAPTIN, we are to develop a marketing strategy for providing training to utilities within and outside Nigeria. So we worked with our international partners to have a world class marketing road map which we are now implementing.
Under our MTSS, we are equally expected to develop our relationships with international bodies so they can carry NAPTIN beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Is this part of what you are doing to become self-reliant?
Exactly. I mentioned our MTSS and relationship with international bodies. The West African Power Pool (WAPP) covers all utilities in the West African sub-region; we have keyed into WAPP and we are making strategic move to ensure we get the opportunities. I was in Cotonou, Benin Republic, recently on a communiqué to train staff of utility of Liberia. The good thing about this is that it will earn Nigeria foreign exchange and it
How many graduates has NAPTIN produced since its inception?
We have produced 1,025 graduates from our NAPTIN Graduate Skill Development Programme (NGDSP). A one-year programme, it is to train young engineers in electrical and mechanical sections to come in and acquire skills and competencies that will prepare them to work in the power sector. It is bridging the gap between university/polytechnic qualification and practical competence. We are not teaching theory here but practical; we are subjecting them to field work under three modules. We have MOU with utilities where they will spend three months in the networks to see how electricity works and how equipments are maintained. It is like the Law School for lawyers. It gives the graduates edge over others in the power sector.
Aside from the graduates, we have other training areas. At the low end, it is our mandate to provide workforce and develop the existing ones. For our training in Distribution Sub-station Operation (DSO) targeted at staff of Distribution Companies (DisCos), in the last one year, we have trained over 1,000. Abuja DisCo alone brought in 600 who we trained in Kainji.
I have worked on engaging more stakeholders to drive patronage in DisCos, Generation Companies (GenCos) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). Presently, training is on-going in Kaduna Electric and we just finished the one for Eko DisCo. We just received a letter for Jos DisCo and Port Harcourt DisCo to train their staff as a result of our engagement.
You had a pact with UNILAG to offer postgraduate courses. What is the status so far?
We already signed the MOU. What is left now is to get it going. It is on PGD on Power System Operation and Maintenance. The UNILAG is just a pilot as we are expanding it to other institutions like Ahmadu Bello University. Also, our partnership with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to ensure all fresh engineers get NAPTIN certification is still on. Recently we had a meeting and we have worked much to ensure that the programme is actualised through a process.
There have been reported cases of electrocution. What is NAPTIN doing to ensure safety at the utilities?
NAPTIN came into existence to address issues of safety and accident in the network. Prior to the inception of NAPTIN, there was a dearth of structured training in the power sector with many accidents and loss of vital equipment. With the institute coming up with some of these trainings along with the Key Performance Indicators (KPI), we realised that accident rate reduced drastically in the sector. But one thing I must say is that, with the privatisation and with the utilities now having freewill of what to do with training, we are seeing cases of accidents.
After the investors took over, they did restructuring and a lot of the old hands were let off while new hands came. It was
With the drive for renewable energy, does NAPTIN have capacity for that?
We saw this coming and we looked at government policy saying that by 2030, 30 per cent of energy consumption in Nigeria should be met by renewable energy, and we have keyed into it. We have various courses that will equip young Nigerians to participate in the market. We have solar Photovoltaic (PV) installation and maintenance which we worked with German experts under GIZ’s Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP) for the world class syllabus which we have started running. We did a test run of 70 trainees at Kainji Regional Training Centre (RTC) which was a huge success and drew a lot of ovation.
We have even begun to attract foreign investors because we partnered with Winrock on energy efficiency project. They are partnering with us to bring in more young Nigerians to be trained on renewable energy. Just last month, we trained another set making 100 trainees and we have another arrangement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for other trainees shortly. Renewable energy is a huge market in Cyprus and other developed places, creating jobs and self-employment. That is what is now happening in Nigeria.