Charles Nwaoguji
Efforts of the National Metrology Institute (NMI), Enugu towards ensuring accuracy of measurements in industry, trade and commerce are being expanded to all parts of Nigeria to promote rapid industrialisation through standardisation.
The Director, NMI Bede Obayi made this disclosure at the Corporate Headquarters of the Standards Organisa- tion of Nigeria (SON), Abuja, recently, in an interview with newsmen.
According to him, the organisation has expanded calibration capacities to Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt to bring its services nearer to stakeholders across the coun- try and ensure great reduction in turnaround time.
Obayi stated that the NMI has over the years, devel- oped capacity in primary standards of measurement in volume, flow, pressure, length and dimension, mass, force, temperature, electricals and metrology in chemistry amongst others for traceability of all secondary standards of measurement in Nigeria and the West African Region. He disclosed that metrology, the science of accurate measurement provides critical support to all other arms of the National Quality Infrastructure project, namely standards development, conformity assessment, testing, accreditation etc. The NMI Director acknowl- edged the patronage of many large-scale industries across Nigeria in the periodic calibration of their weighbridges, testing and measuring equipment to their benefit in en- suring accuracy, thus meeting requirements of applicable Nigerian Industrial Standards.
According to him, the primary measurement standards held in the NMI is a major achievement in saving scarce foreign exchange for the Nation, because private calibration laboratories in Nigeria can derive the traceability of their secondary standards from there, without going out- side the country.
“Equipment and measuring instruments calibration in Nigeria can also be obtained faster than when all second- ary standards of measurement were only traceable to foreign metrology bodies”, he said.