The commitment to enact legislation combating electricity theft in Nigeria was affirmed by Hamisu Ibrahim, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation. He assured that the committee will collaborate with other relevant committees to achieve this goal.
During an oversight visit to the Eko Electricity Distribution Company in Lagos on Monday, Ibrahim expressed concern over the prevalence of electricity theft in the country and emphasized the importance of the upcoming legislation in addressing this issue.
A statement by Amina Othman, the Head of Public Communications at the Bureau of Public Enterprises, highlighted the chairman’s call for enhanced cooperation between the committee and electricity providers to enhance the efficiency of power supply nationwide.
The lawmaker emphasized the necessity of understanding the challenges faced by power companies through collaborative efforts to devise legislative solutions that would benefit both the industry and consumers.
In alignment with the committee’s legislative responsibilities, the oversight visit aimed to supervise all privatised and concessioned enterprises overseen by the Bureau of Public Enterprises.
The committee aims to combat electricity theft by working closely with power companies to address issues related to non-payment and debts owed to them by various entities, as previously motioned by the House.
During the visit, Decour Damnemunene, a committee member, raised concerns about the classification of customers, particularly in Band A, which has led to a significant number of consumers not fulfilling their electricity payment obligations.
In response, Mrs. R. Momoh, the acting Managing Director of EKEDC, highlighted the company’s achievements in reducing technical and commercial losses despite the challenges in the power sector.
She mentioned that the AtC&C Losses Ratio had dropped from 35% in 2023 to 15.1% in 2024, with over 700,000 customers already metered by the company.
Momoh also disclosed plans to procure an additional 92,000 meters in collaboration with the Federal Government Distribution Sector Recovery Programme, emphasizing the company’s commitment to technological advancement and improving service delivery.
However, she highlighted the issue of outstanding debts amounting to N144 billion owed by MDAs within their operational jurisdiction, particularly citing challenges with payments from the military, police, and state government agencies.