Energy Theft: Nigeria’s electricity coy JED, identifies staff as culprits

Nigeria

The Nigeria’s Electricity Company also known as Jos DisCo with headquarters in the northern part of the country has identified its staff as culprits who connive with customers to bypass meters and commit other related offenses. 

Jos DisCo said he will not hesitate to sack any erring staff found guilty of sabotaging the company’s effort to provide efficient services to consumers and to also make profit.

The Managing Director of the company, Engr. Abdu Mohammed stated this on Thursday, in Jos, the city capital, during the launch of a Joint Task Force codenamed the Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO).

The taskforce was primarily set up to checkmate and catch electricity thieves and transformer vandals who have become a thorn in the flesh of the company, Engr. Mohammed said.

He noted that the company has lost a huge amount of money from criminal staff and customers, adding that in a month reports of vandalized transformers hit forty and counting.

“The company’s expected monthly revenues should be about N2.5 billion, but because of theft, we don’t get close to this amount. http://skynewsafrica.net/index.php/2023/08/28/nigerias-jos-disco-md-decry-n120b-dept/

“The company has a metering penetration of 240, 000, customers on prepaid meters which represents 35 per cent of the entire customer base of the Company with an expected monthly revenue increase but we still fall short of expected income every month.

 “In 2021, the company spent N7, 298,134, 00, in critical infrastructure upgrades with the intent of improving reliability and safety of services.

“These assets have come under relentless waves of attacks by vandals, notwithstanding their beneficial impacts on communities.

“In 2023 we expended between N400- N500 million in fixing and replacing transformers that have been vandalized. 

“This is clearly a double jeopardy for the company, as our revenue is being massively depleted by vandals and energy thieves”, Mohammed said. http://skynewsafrica.net/index.php/2023/04/15/nigerias-jos-disco-boss-break-fast-with-christians-workers/

Earlier, a Board Chairman of the electricity company, Alhaji Adamu Wakil, said the effort is apt as the taskforce will surely mitigate the recurring ugly incident of energy vandals.

The Jos Electricity Distribution Company, JED has launched a joint Task Force that will nail energy thieves, electricity vandals and staff who aids and abates customers to bypass meters.

JED said it will no longer tolerate those vandalizing their equipment like transformers which has recorded a high number of proliferation of index cases.

Speaking during the launch of the taskforce in Jos on Thursday, the Managing Director of the energy company, Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed said if it means to sack all erring staff that are adding value to the company, he will so long as the company remains sanitized of criminals.

He lamented that despite the company having a metering penetration of 240, 000, customers on prepaid meters which represents 35 per cent of the entire customer base of the Company with an expected monthly revenue increased revenue which still fall short of expectations.

“The company’s expected monthly revenues should be about N2.5 billion, but because of theft, we don’t get close to this amount”, Mohammed said.

He continued: “In 2021, the company spent N7, 298,134, 00, in critical infrastructure upgrade with the intent of improving reliability and safety of services.

“These assets have come under relentless waves of attacks by vandals, notwithstanding their beneficial impacts on communities.

“In 2023 we expended between N400- N500 million in fixing and replacing transformers that have been vandalized. 

“This is clearly a double jeopardy for the Company, as our revenue is being massively depleted by vandals and energy thieves”, he said.

The Joint Task Force called the Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO) is to mitigate against energy theft and other related offences the Board Chairman of JED, Alhaji Adamu Wakil, said during his remarks.

Wakil lauded the initiative, saying that it will help to catch criminals who are costing the company a huge loss.