Complicit negligence: How weak power lines, vandalism worsen electrocution incidents
Janus-faced electricity distribution companies, their failure to timeously address reported faults, or implement effective solutions to glaring breaches, weak regulations, and zero penalties for infractions, among others, have jointly churned out fatalities in the power sector. As deaths involving consumers and electricity workers soar due to safety concerns, experts say the weaknesses of both players and regulators in the sector, as well as substandard business practices have continued to fuel the rise of fatal and near-fatal incidents, hence the need for an end to them. WALIAT MUSA writes that there is a need to ensure the implementation of licensees’ accident reduction strategy and review of the sector’s health and safety code.
Year in, and year out, electricity-related disasters, which could have been avoided, including those that are rarely heard about in climes with strict safety regulations are happening in Nigeria.
In a bid to power their homes, businesses, and sundry concerns, Nigerians are falling victim to a system that is plagued with lopsided regulations and lax enforcement.
These accidents that are ravaging the power industry range from fire outbreaks to electrocutions, and the effects of these tragedies are more than just numbers; they include broken dreams and irreplaceable losses.
Indeed, behind every data lies a human story where a child, his parents, other relatives or even friends have their lives abruptly cut short due to the inherent failings of a broken system.
A harvest of deaths, near-fatal experiences
If only Nigeria’s power sector prioritised safety and investment in critical infrastructure, Chijioke Udoji and Uzoma Anthony, would not have been scarred for life. They escaped death by the whiskers during an electrocution that almost sent them to their early graves in Cross River State, earlier this month.
While traders at Chamley Street, in the Calabar South area of the state were going about their day, an electricity pole caught fire and the dropping wire landed straight on Udoji and Anthony while razing property close to the pole.
As people scampered for their lives, Udoji helplessly rolled on the floor and Anthony was left hanging on a wall with his cloth twisted into a rod. Before people rushed to help, both were in a critical state.
A bystander, Oyo Bassey, who rushed to help them in recalling the near-fatal electrocution said: “The spark lasted for about 30 minutes, after which the wire started to fray, causing flames to emerge. We tried to extinguish the fire on our own as it happened very close to some parked vehicles, and we needed to the salvage property.”
Amidst the chaos, Udoje’s hand inadvertently brushed against a spiked iron fence, and this sent a surge of electricity coursing through his body. Meanwhile, Anthony, in a desperate attempt to reach safety, found himself ensnared by the high-tension wire, which lifted him several feet off the ground. Both men eventually landed in the hospital.
In a similar incident, Jimoh Wasiu narrated his near-death experience, which happened earlier this year in the Okokomaiko area of Lagos State. He told The Guardian that he was inside his shop when suddenly, electric cables from a pole close to his shop developed a spark, fell, and got him badly burnt with manifest injuries in an encounter that he described as a near-death experience.
In another tragic incident, a father of three and husband to a pregnant wife at the time of the incident, Aliu Guda, was electrocuted to death within the Ibadan Distribution Company network due to negligence of the DisCo, which later sparked off a disagreement between the Electricity Consumers’ Protection Group and the DisCo, in Ogun State.
The incident, according to the group and community members occurred due to what they termed criminal negligence by the distribution company. Eyewitnesses at the scene of the incident said that when the incident occurred, the Joju Business Unit of IBEDC, at Sango, was immediately contacted by the community. The marketer, Odetola Famakinde, was also allegedly contacted, but he failed to show up to either establish the veracity of the community’s claim, cut off the light, or even cut off the fallen wire from the power source. It took the bravery of youth in the community, who ventured into the feeder pillar and removed the fuse that served the area before Guda’s body was removed for burial.
Community members said it took an IBEDC marketer two days after the burial to visit the scene of the incident, where he simply took a cursory look at the damaged wire and left without even paying a condolence visit to the deceased’s family or community.
Just two months ago, a faulty power line belonging to the Jos Electricity Distribution Plc. (JED), electrocuted eight persons at Kabong Community in Jos North Local Council of Plateau state, killing six of them immediately. The incident was blamed on erratic power supplied by the JED.
In the same community five months ago, seven residents were electrocuted with property worth millions of naira destroyed following an electric spark. Also, a mother’s hope was shattered as the tragic death of her 17-year-old son, Fawaz Oseni, who was electrocuted while playing football in Lagos State, underscores the alarming rate at which lives are being lost to this hazard.
Two Eko Electricity Distribution Company staff, identified as Umaru, aged 51, and Sunday Awaruwa, aged 48, were reportedly electrocuted while digging to locate a faulty transformer cable at the P&T building in the Obalende area of the state. Tragically, Awaruwa lost his life while attempting to rescue Umaru.
A few months ago, tragedy struck in the Obir-Ikwerre area of Rumousi Community, Rivers State, as five individuals were electrocuted while attempting to mount a billboard with a metal frame. Though they were part of a nine-man team, five of them lost their lives in the incident, while the remaining four sustained injuries.
The recurring tragedy is a pointer to the scant attention being paid to safety measures by authorities in the power sector. The staggering statistics of deaths by electrocution underscore the urgency to address this issue.
Meanwhile, many of these incidents are attributed to the lackadaisical attitude of electricity company workers, who frequently overlook early warning signs and appeals from residents regarding faulty wires in their neighborhoods.
According to available records, there is often a significant time lag between reporting a fault and when it is fixed. The time lag sometimes stretches up to months and years.
Indeed, there are instances where, despite inherent risks, residents are forced to resort to self-help when authorities fail to respond to these reports. In 2019, an incident occurred at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, in Lagos, where six inmates serving various prison terms lost their lives due to electrocution caused by an electricity surge that resulted in a cable explosion. Several other inmates sustained injuries during that incident.
In another tragic event, a middle-aged woman and her son were electrocuted in Osogbo, Osun State, when an electricity cable fell during a heavy downpour.
Reports indicated that the victims inadvertently stepped on the live electric cable while trying to escape electric shocks in their homes, which was caused by the fallen cable.
Weak regulations, zero penalties, and crafty DisCos
DESPITE many reported and unreported incidents of this nature, the cycle of negligence persists in the country. This leaves residents vulnerable and families mourning. Sadly, this situation has persisted in the face of repeated calls for reforms and accountability even as the power sector continues to fail, robbing Nigerians of their rights.
Experts said the weaknesses of both players and regulators in the sector have continually led to numerous fatal and near-fatal incidents. On the regulatory side, government agencies that are responsible for overseeing the industry suffer from a lack of resources, corruption, and ineffective enforcement mechanisms. Inspections and audits are infrequent, and regulatory standards are often outdated or inadequately enforced.
While the industry is dilly-dallying, tragedy usually strikes when a poorly installed electrical system or a faulty electrical appliance malfunctions, causing a deadly electric shock. Victims, often unaware of the risks posed by substandard electrical infrastructure, suffer severe injuries or even lose their lives in preventable accidents.
The weaknesses of players and regulators, they said, contribute to these unfortunate outcomes. Staff with poor training, and the use of sub-standard materials all contribute to creating hazardous conditions.
Meanwhile, regulators have continued to fail in their enforcement of safety standards, and in holding negligent players accountable, thereby allowing dangerous practices to go unchecked. The consequences of these failures reverberate throughout communities, leaving families to mourn the loss of loved ones and grapple with the trauma of preventable deaths.
To curb these, they insist that investing in the education and training of staff, strengthening regulatory frameworks, improving enforcement mechanisms, and promoting public awareness of electrical safety practices are key, adding that only concerted efforts to address systemic shortcomings can effectively mitigate the risks of electrocution and ensure the safety and well-being of citizens.
Vandalisation, energy theft as enablers to the menace
ONE of the major factors contributing to electrocution incidents in the country is the rampant vandalisation of power infrastructure. Unscrupulous persons, driven by greed or a lack of access to electricity, engage in the stealing and destruction of vital electrical components, which disrupts the flow of electricity, leading to overloads, power surges, and exposed wires, all of which expose innocent individuals to the risk of electrocution.
Vandalisation, beyond causing electrocution hazards, also poses considerable financial setbacks for a power sector where DisCos are struggling with the burden of repairing damaged infrastructure, resulting in significant revenue losses, and hindering efforts to provide reliable electricity.
Last month, it was reported that four Tower 70 along the 330kV Gwagwalada-Katampe line were vandalised in Abuja. Also, the illegal tapping of electricity from power lines, or tampering with electricity meters exacerbates electrocution risks faced by Nigerians as desperate residents, burdened by the lack of access to reliable power, resort to unauthorised connections, or bypassing meters to meet their energy needs.
However, these unsafe connections are often poorly insulated and lack proper grounding, significantly amplifying the chances of electrocution. Energy theft not only poses a danger to individuals but also burdens the entire power system. The staggering amount of electricity lost due to theft strains the already limited supply of power, further worsening widespread power outages experienced throughout the country.
Stakeholders affirm that by addressing energy theft, the risk of electrocution can be severely mitigated, and overall electrical infrastructure made to operate more efficiently, leading to improved power access for all Nigerians.
Between January 2022 and February 2024, over 117 132kv/330kv electricity towers have been vandalised nationwide. The Guardian checks showed that over the last six years, the power sector reported 543 deaths, 303 injuries, and 1,928 Health and Safety accidents (H&S).
Also, while many families are grappling with the loss of their loved ones, survivors are left to nurse their physical and emotional scars that could have been prevented.
As the nation strives for economic growth, the human cost of systemic issues including poor maintenance, lack of investment in critical infrastructure, and energy theft becomes increasingly apparent.
In the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) report, the Second Quarter of 2023 alone recorded 52 accidents, with Eko DisCo leading at 21.15 per cent, followed by TCN at 15.38 per cent, and Ikeja DisCo at 13.46 per cent.
The commission has severally vowed to actively investigate and take necessary actions against implicated licensees, but nothing has come of their investigations, and no action carried out. For the subsequent quarter, 41 accidents were reported, with Ikeja, Abuja, Ibadan, and Jos DisCos accounting for the highest casualties.
Out of the 41 accidents reported in the Third Quarter of 2023, the licensees with the highest number of casualties were Ikeja (10), Abuja (nine), Ibadan (nine), and Jos (nine). The DisCos represented 16.13 per cent, 14.52 per cent, 14.52 per cent, and 14.52 per cent respectively. Conversely, the TCN and Kaduna DisCo had the least number of casualties (one each) in the quarter.
According to NERC, the causes include illegal connections, unsafe conditions, wire snaps, vandalism, explosions, and electrocution. A breakdown of the incidents showed that the total number of deaths in the First Quarter of 2018 to the fourth quarter was 104, while injuries stood at 29 and the H&S reports were 323. The first to fourth quarters of 2019 recorded 77 deaths, 42 injuries, and 364 H&S reports. The year 2020 recorded 76 deaths, 40 injuries, and 456 H&S reports, and in 2021, 111 deaths were recorded with 56 injuries and 328 H&S reports. For 2022, 96 deaths were recorded, 64 injuries, and 331 H&S reports, last year, 79 deaths were recorded alongside 72 injuries and 126 accidents.
The NERC said that it plans to enhance safety in the NESI by closely overseeing the implementation of licensees’ accident reduction strategy, concurrently with the ongoing review of the sector’s health and safety code.
NERC’s onslaught against electrocutions
IN 2017, NERC called on the Cross River government to stop the approval of buildings constructed under high-tension cables to avoid cases of electrocution. Three years ago, the NERC fined the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) N300 million for violations and intrusion, which resulted in the electrocution of Arafat Jibril, in Niger State.
The commission in the order said the DisCo should pay the sum of N50 million to the family of the late Jubril as compensation through a formal presentation at the commission on May 28, 2019.
Last November, the commission constituted a committee to investigate the death of a staff of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Augustine Izekor who was electrocuted during his official duties in Evbodia Community in Oredo, Edo State.
The Guardian checks showed that the commission has implemented safety programmes like the standardisation of protective schemes, public enlightenment on health and safety, engagement of government agencies on Right of Way (RoW) violations, and a review of an operational procedure for distribution system operators on fault clearing.
Despite NERC’s efforts, challenges to ensuring comprehensive electrical safety nationwide include inadequate funding for infrastructure upgrades, technical capacity constraints, and the need for greater collaboration between regulatory authorities and industry stakeholders.
Looking ahead, sustained regulatory vigilance, coupled with increased investments in infrastructure and public awareness campaigns remain critical to reducing electrocution.
Failure of oversight, fake electrical appliances boost electrocution
THE Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and reliability of electrical installations across the country.
However, incidents in the sector have raised concerns about the failure of oversight, particularly regarding the influx of counterfeit electrical appliances into the market.
One of the primary responsibilities of the agency, according to the 2023 Electricity Act, is to carry out electrical inspection for the NESI; enforce all statutory technical electrical standards, and regulations; collaborate with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other relevant government agencies to ensure that all major electrical materials and equipment used in the country are of the right quality and standards.
The Act also mandates the agency to ensure that power systems and networks put in place are properly executed before use to ensure that such systems can deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable electricity supply to consumers nationwide.
Also, according to NEMSA Act No.6 of 2015, the agency is to carry out enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical inspection, testing, and certification of all categories of electrical installations, electricity meters, and instruments to ensure the efficient production and delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable electricity power supply and guarantee the safety of lives and property in the Nigerian electricity supply industry among others. However, the prevalence of fake electrical appliances suggests a breakdown of this regulatory process.
NEMSA therefore should ensure that electrical materials and equipment used in the country are of the right quality and standards, while the power system should be properly executed before use.
Experts demand urgent reforms
THE Executive Director, PowerUp Nigeria, Adetayo Adegbenle, emphasised the need for both DisCos and all participants in the power sector to prioritise the health and safety of residents.
He highlighted the prevalent disregard for rules and regulations while underscoring the need for stricter enforcement of penalties and increased training for linesmen and all individuals involved in the value chain.
“What NERC can do is to open a whistleblowing channel to put DisCos especially, in check. There is a need for increased training and advocacy so that present policies and interventions can be effective,” he said.
Adegbenle, who stressed his ongoing monitoring of NERC’s operations, particularly in legal and regulatory compliance, noted recent investigations into various issues, leading to compensations for affected individuals. He emphasised the importance of increased publicity to raise awareness among residents and suggested the establishment of a user-friendly channel for consumers to report such issues conveniently.
For the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, problems like illegal connections, and vandalism significantly contribute to electrocutions, operational issues, and other incidents, adding that this explains why there are persistent calls for residents to refrain from engaging in energy theft. Oduntan emphasised that ensuring safety in the power sector would be possible if Nigerians refrain from habitual energy theft, given its prevalence.
“Energy theft poses a significant challenge for DisCos and everyone should refrain from it. When addressing extensions, the Constitution plays a crucial role. There are established mechanisms for dealing with every incident, and incorporating these into the process is not a problem. The focus is on integrating safety comprehensively, achievable through collaboration with customers and partnerships within different areas,” he said.
Not long ago, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, expressed concern that acts of vandalism endanger the safety of electricity consumers. Responding to the recent act of vandalism on power infrastructure in Yobe State, he hinted that the ministry was collaborating closely with law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and those found responsible will face legal consequences.
“Vandalism not just disrupts power supply, but also poses a threat to the safety and well-being of all. Our goal is not just to ensure power supply, but to also send a strong message that acts of sabotage will not go unpunished. We are developing a plan to enhance the security of power facilities nationwide and also working on legislation to tackle acts of vandalism,” he said.
Speaking at a recent NERC and NESI Health and Safety Managers Meeting in Lagos, the Head of HSE/ESG, PHED, Itoro Essienobom, said it is important to conduct awareness campaigns for students, educating them on proper responses to encountering a fallen power line on the road or witnessing a spark at home. He also spoke on the potential risks faced by traders selling under power lines, highlighting the dangers that this poses to their lives.
According to the Head of HSE, IBEDC, Biodun Dirisu, due to the challenging economic situation in the country, individuals unrelated to electricity are meddling with it, leading to a rise in accident statistics.
The NERC SM, Engineering Performance and Monitoring, Idris Aminu Idris, said that vandalism accounted for as much as 13 per cent of accidents during the first three quarters of 2023, adding that DisCos should collaborate with relevant security agencies to mitigate incidents.
“All significant accidents such as loss of life to humans or electric shock to animals, damage to equipment, apparatus, among others due to electrical causes must be reported to NERC as stipulated in section 5.3 of the Safety Code. Failure to report is a great offence and the reporting obligation has a high penalty,” he said.
Also speaking with The Guardian, the National Coordinator, Electricity Protection Group, Adeola Samuel-Ilori, said that the primary cause of accidents in the sector is easily identifiable, adding that at the root of the issues lies a flawed foundation of privatisation.
He added that the purported sales were mishandled, lacking proper consideration for crucial elements like financial capability and technical expertise before licenses were granted to the associates of those in power then.
He mentioned that DisCos and other stakeholders in the industry are managing outdated equity and obsolete materials, leading to the frequent recurrence of electrocution incidents and damages. He added that the safety measures for DisCos staff at work are of very poor standards, resulting in incidents such as falling from poles while addressing faulty systems.
“All obsolete and moribund facilities and equipment must be changed and rehabilitated. Many of the power sector substations are old and obsolete. For instance, the substations in Maryland recently experienced a fire outbreak, causing widespread power outages. Surprisingly, these facilities were purchased and installed back in 1983, that is one out of the many that we have in Nigeria with such a long age status,” he said.
On his part, a legal practitioner and Executive Coordinator, of NEPA WAHALA NG, a power sector consumer awareness and protection initiative, Emeka Ojoko, emphasised that in the event of accidents, victims should receive substantial compensation.
“While no amount can truly alleviate the loss of a loved one, the owner of the facility responsible for the incident should pay a significant compensation to the affected families.”
“There is a need for improved accident investigation capacity. Every accident provides an opportunity to learn something that will prevent a recurrence. Just like the aviation sector has the NSIB for air traffic accident investigation, an independent agency should be created to investigate electricity accidents, apportion appropriate responsibility, and recommend future prevention measures,” he said. Ojoko highlighted the issue of aged equipment in the NESI and stressed the importance of upgrading them.
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