By Tochukwu Bliss, Abuja
Tough times lay ahead as House of Representatives has resolved to work with relevant committees in the House to pass a legislation on electricity theft in Nigeria.
The Chairman, Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Hamisu Ibrahim, made the pledge in Lagos on Monday, when he led other members on an oversight visit to the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC).
A statement signed by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), quoted the Chairman to have decried the rate of electricity theft in the country, adding that legislation would check the abuse.
Mr. Ibrahim was also said to have called for collaboration between the committee and electricity power companies for effective and efficient power supply in the country.
He noted that such collaborative efforts would give the committee the opportunity to know the challenges facing the power companies with a view to providing legislative solutions.
According to him, the visit was in line with the legislative functions of the committee to oversee all privatised and concessioned enterprises by the Bureau.
He was said to have commended EKEDC for attaining and maintaining the best rated status amongst power distribution companies in the country and urged its management and staff to uphold the status.
He said the committee and the power companies would work closely to fight electricity theft by unpatriotic consumers and that the House had already passed a motion for the quick recovery of debts owed by power companies by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
MDAs owe EKDC about N144 billion and the Nigerian Military, the Nigerian Police Force and other state government agencies have refused to pay up their debts…
Also speaking, a member of the committee, Decour Damnemunene, expressed concern over the categorisation of various customers in Band A, which has resulted in most electricity consumers not paying for the electricity they consume.
Welcoming the members, the acting Managing Director, EKEDC, Rekhiat Momoh, said the Disco is the only one in Nigeria that has reduced its Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collections Loss (ATC&C) ratio to the bearest minimum at 15.1% from 35% in 2023, despite the challenges in the power sector.
This is even as she revealed that ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in its area of operation owe the company about N144 billion and that the Nigerian Military, the Nigerian Police Force and other state government agencies have refused to pay up their debts, thus posing a challenge for the Disco.
Mrs. Momoh added with over 700,000 of its customers metered, the Disco is working out modalities in collaboration with the federal government Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) to procure additional 92,000 meters for its customers.
She further informed that EKEDC has made significant improvements in technology, provision of meters and transformers, adding that “EKEDC is the only Disco that fulfils its monthly obligations remittance to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Company.”
