AEDC advocates aggressive steps to address electricity theft

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has called for aggressive steps to curtail the rising trend of electricity theft in its franchise areas of Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Niger.

The Managing Director of AEDC, Mr Ernest Mupwaya, made the call at a workshop for Judges and Magistrates in the FCT on Monday.

The workshop with theme, “Electricity Theft and Other Related Offences, Issues Arising”, was designed to provide an indepth knowledge of the workings of Nigerian Electricity Market Industry to the judicial officials.

Mupwaya said the workshop for the judges on electricity theft was germane because of ongoing reforms in the sector.

“It is for this reason that anywhere this transformation is taken place, there have been aggressive steps to ensure that the issue of stealing electricity is decisively addressed.

“If it is not addressed, it negates all the improvement efforts.“

He said that part of the liquidity challenge in the sector was largely caused by the rampant phenomenon of electricity theft.

“The major problem that we are facing in the sector is characterised by the liquidity challenge.

“If we analyse further, the liquidity challenge can be traced largely to the theft of electricity and unaccounted energy in the sector.

“Because to have a sustained improvement in the sector, there have to be efficiency in the way the energy is being accounted for; there has to be deliberate processes that should curtail theft of electricity.”

Mupwaya said AEDC was delighted to collaborate with the judiciary.

According to him, the collaboration will help the Distribution Company (DISCO) improve its payments of revenue to other components of the value chain.

He said AEDC had initially set up a task force comprising the judiciary, security agencies to combat electricity theft and vandalism, adding that the workshop was to consolidate the relationship to curtail energy theft.

The FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, said that sensitisation was intended to enrich the adjudicatory knowledge and responsibilities of the judicial officers in the area of electricity supply and consumption.

Bello said that it was important for the judicial officials to demonstrate a receptive mind so they could benefit from the exercise.

He said that the forum was also designed to have an insight on the level of services been delivered by AEDC and the many disturbing situations affecting consumers.

“When citizens start rising up to their own responsibilities, you should know that litigation will come before the court.

“It is our duty to call a spade a spade by doing our responsibilities to encourage the service provider to perform optimally.

“It is your responsibility to understand the reasons behind the existence of the AEDC so that when any subject matter comes before you, you will be able to follow the sequence of argument.

“You will easily comprehend the sequence of argument, understand and at the end of the day, you will fairly and justly decide with delay.“

Bello, who commended AEDC for the thought provoking and insightful workshop, said that the programme was an intervention aimed at improving the knowledge of the judges and magistrates in the electricity field.

“Electricity is one of the most important inventions of man today; the entire activity of life revolves largely around it; government, economy rely on it.

“It is a catalyst for economic growth, it accounts for the substance of various means of livelihoods, it is the most vital of the critical infrastructure, for its significant, therefore, it will not be out of place to describe it as a national asset and it must be protected.

“We in the judiciary, we are glad to join hands with major stakeholders, with AEDC to determine what role the court can play to determine that this essential commodity is available to all.

He listed vandalism, electricity theft, unauthorised and illegal access to electricity facilities as common threat to the sector.

He said attacks on critical infrastructures like power assets, specifically on generation and transmission facilities, could be a source of economic distress, adding that efforts must be made to protect them.

“Consequently, if we do not move fast than criminals, they will continue to exploit the vulnerable aspect of the system to create damage on electricity and other critical infrastructure.

“It is, therefore, wholeheartedly to embrace the idea of the workshop. It is packaged to give us insight into the relevant laws and regulations applicable to the Nigerian power sector

He said the deliberations and suggestions from the workshop would also enable AEDC improve on its operations, especially adherence to relevant laws and regulations in operations.

High points of the workshop were the presentations of relevant papers on the Nigerian electricity sector by resource persons.