Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company has lamented the rise in energy theft in the past three months of the Band A tariff increase.
This is even as the DisCo threatened that offenders caught in the act of energy theft would be immediately charged to court, reiterating that the era of merely imposing loss of revenue penalty alone on offenders is over.
The company made this announcement at its July Stakeholders Forum.
In a statement made available to our correspondent on Saturday, Ikeja Electric’s Head of Corporate Communication, Kingsley Okotie, lamented the increase in energy theft, “especially over the last three months following the implementation of the reviewed tariff on Band A feeders”.
Okotie noted that the company and the entire electricity value chain cannot survive if energy theft goes unchecked.
“The theft is massive and the company cannot guarantee meeting customer expectations if this ugly trend continues. Ironically, some perpetrators believe that if they haven’t been caught, there are no consequences. This is false, and we must change the narrative,” he said.
Okotie stated that for the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry to survive, all stakeholders must fight in unison against theft, as the pilfering of electricity hinders the stability of the sector.
He emphasised that whatever happens to the power distribution companies affects the entire industry.
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Speaking on the strategies to curb theft, the company’s spokesman mentioned that the whistleblowing platform is a very effective way for customers and well-meaning Nigerians to report incidents anonymously.
He added that the platform is managed independently of the business, ensuring customers’ identities remain anonymous and highly confidential.
He said, “To reinforce the company’s commitment, IE is incentivising whistleblowing by rewarding those who report any illegality and theft of electricity. Persons who submit verified reports on Non-Maximum Demand (Residential & SMEs) offenders will get up to 10 percent of the reconnection fee paid by the offender while for Maximum Demand (commercial & industrial) offenders, whistle-blowers will get up to 5 percent of the reconnection fees paid by the offender.
“Energy theft is a criminal offense under the Electricity Act, attracting a sentence between six months to three years imprisonment. Interfering with meters or the works of licensees carries a sentence of three years imprisonment. Ikeja Electric can, under the law, prosecute people and companies for the criminal offence of energy theft.
“In line with regulations stipulated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. The NERC Order on unauthorised access, meter tampering, and bypass allows DisCos to disconnect customers illegally connected to their network. Reconnection is only possible after offenders have paid for the loss of revenue by paying back-bills established by the DisCo, along with reconnection costs and administrative charges.”
Okotie urged customers to take advantage of the new whistleblowing platform to report energy theft.
The PUNCH reports that customers categorised as Band A now pay over N209 per kilowatt-hour instead of N68/kWh following the removal of electricity subsidies.
Individuals, and businesses, including academic and academic institutions, have been lamenting over the new tariff.
