Reps Committee Commends NDPHC For High Safety Standards At Calabar Power Plant

The House of Representatives Committee connected Safety Standards and Regulations has commended the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) for upholding precocious information standards astatine the Calabar Power Plant successful Odukpani, Cross River State.

The Committee gave the commendation connected Monday aft an on-the-spot appraisal of the 565MW facility, noting important improvements since its past sojourn successful 2018.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. David Idris Zacharias, said the inspection was aimed astatine ensuring that Nigerians enactment successful harmless environments and bask long, steadfast lives.

He praised the unit for maintaining the plant, stressing that the wellness and information of workers successful the powerfulness assemblage are captious to some authorities and the economy.

“We, the Safety Standards and Regulations Committee members, ever admit erstwhile we measurement into immoderate organisation and spot that they person done precise well. My content present is positive, and you besides heard the aforesaid from my honourable colleagues,” Zacharias said.

He, however, noted that the sojourn was not lone to commend but besides to item areas requiring improvement.

“When we travel to a spot similar this, we indispensable observe areas that request attention. What we are saying present is to promote them to deepen their committedness to information issues. We went circular and saw their challenges, which we volition instrumentality backmost to the government.

“We are hopeful that by the clip we return, immoderate of the issues we observed would person been addressed,” helium added.

Specifically, the committee called for betterment successful the enactment situation for staff, including amended lighting, remainder areas for displacement workers, and capable seating successful offices.

Other members of the committee were Hon Harrison Anozie Nwadike, Hon Suleiman Abubakar Gumi, Hon. Kalejaiye Paul Adeboye, Hon El-Rasheed Abdullahi and Hon. Emmanuel Effiong Udo.

The lawmakers, who were conducted astir the works by the Chief Operating Officer of the Calabar Power Plant, Engr. Ayoade Olanrewaju Bex, described the installation arsenic 1 of the champion they had visited successful presumption of information standards and compliance.

Welcoming the delegation connected behalf of the Executive Director, Generation, Engr. Abdullahi Kassim, the General Manager, Generation Projects astatine NDPHC, Engr. Valerie Agberagba, said information and standards stay apical priorities for the company.

She stressed that the company’s workforce is cardinal to its operations, adding that NDPHC would proceed to amended the enactment situation for staff, peculiarly those astatine its powerfulness plants.

“The sojourn of the House Committee connected Safety Standards and Regulations was precise important to us. It gave america the accidental to measure wherever we are successful presumption of health, safety, and compliance with regulations and standards astatine our powerfulness plants.

“For me, it was an eye-opener. You could spot that erstwhile they compared the 2018 study to what they person now, determination has been a large betterment successful compliance. This shows that NDPHC is not taking issues of safety, regulations, and biology standards for granted. We are moving towards an situation that is harmless for some our workers and the cognition of the powerfulness plant,” Agberagba said.

She stated that the institution has taken enactment of the areas that request improvements, adding that “this absorption is precise acrophobic astir the payment of the staff, due to the fact that if they are not successful a bully presumption to work, we are not going to get the champion retired of them.

“So those small observations person to bash with bully conditions of enactment for the staff, we volition marque definite that these things are taken into information successful the shortest imaginable time.”

Also speaking, Ag. Head, Health, Safety and Environment, NDPHC, Austin Ijagem disclosed that the works has not recorded immoderate enactment related mishap that has led to fatality since it began operations.

“The information astatine the powerfulness works has been apical notch. Their advisor mentioned that successful 2018, erstwhile they visited, determination were a batch of pending issues, information concerns that they raised. And they person besides acknowledged that erstwhile they came successful today, the quality was clear. A batch of the information concerns raised successful 2018 person been closed out. That means we are getting nearer to astir zero pending issues arsenic acold arsenic the information astatine the powerfulness works is concerned,” he stated.