The National Power Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to training and retraining of personnel in the power sector for effective service delivery.
Mr Ahmed Nagode, Director-General, NAPTIN said this in Abuja on Wednesday at a capacity building training for Heads of Communication in the power sector.
The theme of the training was “Technical Training for Non-Technical Personnel’’.
Nagode said that the essence of the training was to bring the communication team of the power sector handling information to know about the basic technical skills involved in the sector.
According to him, there is no doubt that the sector has made some remarkable achievements in recent times, and there is a need to let the public know what is happening within the sector.
“So the training is carefully designed to enhance the skills of the communication staff of the power sector to make it possible for them to disseminate news or activities effectively.
“ The training will take them to the basic knowledge of the power system, as there is no way you can report about something if you do not have a good knowledge.’’he said.
Nagode recalled that at the inauguration of the power sector communication team, the minister mentioned the need for development within the sector.
He said this was NAPTIN’s efforts to compliment the activities of the ministry.
He said that NAPTIN was a centre of excellence that organised trainings beyond the West African sub region to the African continent.
Mr Kenny Anuwe, Managing Director, FGN Power Company, while declaring the training open, said that communication was important in the power sector as it would move the industry forward.
Anuwe said that it was also important that stakeholders across the sector had an alliance to deliver effective and reliable power to the public.
“This is to achieve the target of President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, to deliver stable and reliable power to Nigerians.
“Once all the agencies have a stronger and clearer alliance across the entire power sector value chain, the outcome of such synergy will be to achieve the desired result.
“So this training is critical for the sector and for the public to get the right information about the power sector in a timely manner, ‘’ he said.
Mr Yesuf Kahiel , a facilitor and instructor with NAPTIN, said that the training was for power sector communicators to understand the basic terminologies in the industry to effectively report on the sector.
Kahiel said that the communicators were not technically inclined to understand the industry, hence the need to train and retrain them before they can report activities of the sector.
Some of the beneficiaries of the training said that the initiative was welcome as it would help them discharge their duties effectively.
Ms Magadalene Abang, Communication Lead, FGN Power Company, and Coordinator for PSCT, said that it was expected that the power sector communication team would represent the industry well.
Abang said that the training would not only enable them to learn more about the sector but also build their capacity to report adequately.
“We are hoping that after this training we will become better communicators to push on the mandate of Mr President and the minister of Power.
“This is to ensure that the sector achieves its aim of delivering reliable power supply,” he said.
Mr Okechukwu James, a Communication Officer with the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELCOM) said that the training would enable them to coordinate and report the sector effectively.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of Power recently inaugurated the Power Sector Communication Team (PSCT) for effective communication and better service delivery.
Adelabu said that the initiative was designed to bridge the gap between the power sector and the public.
According to him, effective communication is the bedrock of any successful enterprise, and the power sector is no exception.
The minister, who described the power sector as very complex, said that it was often misunderstood and fraught with challenges.
“The PSCT is our response to this. It is a platform for clear, consistent, and transparent communication aimed at building trust and confidence in the sector. (NAN)