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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
In a recent report by the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the distribution companies lose over N30 billion monthly to cases of electricity theft, meter bypass, vandalism and unpaid electricity bills by consumers.
This malfeasance in the industry has contributed immensely to stultify the development of the sector to the extent that the industry is not attractive to investors. Banks no longer lend to the operators because they are not sure of recovering their money.
For instance, on December 22, 2023, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced that its transformers and tower T372 around Katsaita Village in Yobe State were vandalised, thereby causing Yobe and Borno states to be in darkness.
The incident, which took place at about 21:18 on December 21, 2023, caused the failure of power supply to parts of the Northeast, namely, Yobe and Borno states.
On February 23, 2024, Gombe residents woke up to discover that the two transmission towers, T377 and T378, along the Gombe – Damaturu 330kV transmission line had been vandalised. The act, perpetrated by insurgents, resulted in a load loss of approximately 5MW.
At approximately 9:35 p.m, on that day, the Gombe – Damaturu 330kV transmission line experienced a trip. Following initial checks, TCN engineers from the Bauchi regional office attempted the restoration of the line, but it tripped again, prompting the dispatch of TCN’s linesmen and security operatives to trace the fault. The team, then discovered the two collapsed towers, T377 and T378.
Also, on February 26, this year, residents of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were thrown into darkness following the vandalism of 330kV Gwagwalada -Katampe Transmission line by bandits.
In a statement, the General Manager, Public Affairs TCN, Mrs Ndidi Mbah said that the incident occurred on February 26, 2024, about 11:32 p.m.
She said that the Gwagwalada – Katampe Transmission line tripped at Gwagwalada Transmission Substation and trial reclosure by the TCN operators failed, necessitating a physical patrol of the line.
“The TCN lines and patrol team discovered that the four tower footings of Tower 70 were vandalised, destroying the tower legs and causing the tower to stand on the ground, supported by conductors” she said.
According to her, the incident has reduced bulk power supply flexibility and the volume of power into Abuja by 250MW.
Again, it has been pretty difficult to collect revenue from difficult areas and terrains like the barracks and riverine areas.
Following poor service delivery by the DisCos, consumers are not willing to pay. Instead, they engage in meter bypass and energy theft.
These and more make the industry unattractive for investors and banks.
So far, the industry has latched on government’s subsidy to remain afloat to the extent that government’s total expenditure since privatisation has run into trillions of naira
President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years regime spent over N7 trillion to subsidise the industry.
Also, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has already wasted over N1 trillion.
This is beside the over N7 trillion the government spent during the privatisation to pay gratuity, salary, pensions and other ancillary expenses.
Unfortunately, 11 years after privatisation, the industry has remained in its sophomore and infantile stage. Two administrations have come and gone without finding a solution to regular power supply.
This has prompted President Tinubu-led administration to push for death sentence for anybody caught vandalising and stealing electricity wires; vandalising transformers, towers and disrupting supply of electricity.
Addressing the chief executives of agencies and departments in the power sector, in Abuja, Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adekola Adelabu said that the vandals not only frustrate the efforts of the Federal Government in ensuring improved supply of electricity, they are sabotaging the economy, killing the people and dragging the rest of Nigerians backward.
“Capital punishment is not too much because they are also gradually killing the nation. They are killing the economy. They are killing the people” he submitted
According to him, the policy framework will be ready before the end of March.
He said that the bane of the industry is theft and vandalism, adding that the government is collaborating with National Security Agency (NSA) and other security agencies to protect the transformers.
The government, he said, is also discussing with the state governments and host communities with a view to protecting the transformers and towers sited in their areas.
As if the policy had been concluded at the highest level of government, a regulator in one of the agencies (who prefers anonymity) told Sunday Sun, that the asset vandals and energy thieves deserve to die because they have also killed through their actions.
He said that many people have died while undergoing surgery in the hospitals because of power failure occasioned by vandals.
But the industry players seem to be singing a discordant tune regarding the policy.
In their opinion, there’s an existing law against energy theft and vandalism of power infrastructure, saying that the implementation of the law has been the problem.
The Vice President, Operations, Ashipa Electric and board member, Africa Mini-grid Developers Association, Folusho Alabi, said that it is almost impossible to place capital punishment as the lawful consequence for energy theft.
He wondered why it’s difficult for government to implement the existing law which prescribed imprisonment.
“If the government cannot implement prison sentence, what’s the guarantee that it would implement a stiffer law like death sentence?
“However, it is almost impossible to place capital punishment as the lawful consequence for energy theft.
“Section 94 (3) of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA), provides five to seven years punishment for tampering with energy assets. In fact, the Miscellaneous Offences Acts provide a punishment of life imprisonment for energy theft and asset damages.
“In other countries like Cameroon, Niger, South Africa, punishment is fine and/or imprisonment. In Niger State, they have 99 per cent tariff collection rate even on post-paid.
“My position on this matter is that the legislation or policies is not the problem as that is in place already. The real issue is with the implementation of the law on energy theft offenders.
“How many have been jailed? How many have lost their full privileges as a citizen as punishment for energy theft? Very few or maybe none. I conclude by challenging the government to use the provisions of the law already available judiciously as deterrent to offenders,” Alabi said.
However, the Executive Director, Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre, Prince Princewill Okorie, condemned the idea of capital punishment.
Rather, the DisCos who appropriated the investment of consumers should be held responsible, he opined.
According to him, the consumers are forced to buy transformers, poles and wires only for the DisCos to take them over without refunding them.
“How many transformers have the distribution companies (DisCos) purchased in this country? Every year, the regulator approves Capex for them. The capex is capital expenditure that’s meant to be used to buy transformers, poles and wires and install them to enhance network expansion.
“How many have they bought since 2013 they began operation? How many have the consumers bought? There’s network expansion investment policy which entails that when a consumer invests in network expansion by way of funding infrastructure, the consumer is supposed to recover his money or the community.
“But the same government is supposed to enlighten the people on how to get back their money. So, who is the thief? Is it the government that has failed to pay back to the people that are investing in the sector?
“They are taking over their (consumers) investment and handing them over to the distribution companies and using security to hack down on citizens who paid for these infrastructure.
“Who is the thief here? The distribution companies are the thieves because they are using infrastructure bought by consumers without paying them back. They are thieves for taking money approved for them for capex,” he submitted.
