Oscarline Onwuemenyi
22 August 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has disclosed that a total of 82 persons including employees of electricity distribution companies (Discos), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), as well as power consumers, lost their lives in various electricity-related accidents between January and July this year.
NEMSA made this disclosure in a report on Safety Ranking for Electricity Distribution companies and the TCN from January to July 2017, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja.
According to the NEMSA report, 14 employees of both TCN and the Discos, and 68 other victims, who were classified as third party individuals, lost their lives during the period under review.
The report also stated that there had been 67 accidents with fatalities so far, while there were 37 accidents with only injuries adding that 59 persons were injured in the process.
The agency went further to state that 24 people among the injured persons were workers of both the Discos and the TCN, while 35 were third-party individuals.
The report further showed that Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) recorded the highest number of fatalities or deaths in the sector since the beginning of 2017.
Specifically, while 20 individuals lost their lives in the locations covered by the Abuja Disco, 11 persons died in each of the areas under the electricity supply and distribution management of both Kano and Port Harcourt Discos.
Discos like Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ibadan, and Ikeja recorded seven, one, three, eight and two fatalities respectively during the period under review.
Jos Disco recorded 10 fatalities, while each of Kaduna and Yola Discos had situations that claimed four lives in their coverage areas between January and July 2017.
The TCN lost one employee during the period under review, which was why it was grouped among power firms that recorded fatalities arising from electricity accidents in the sector.
The agency in its latest report advised the Discos to urgently rectify defective networks reported to them by NEMSA.
“This is because claims of self-rectified networks by Discos have been found to be untrue/false,” it said, adding that notification by Discos to NEMSA for verification should be weekly, rather than waiting until the end of the month.
It stated that electrocution in July this year rose to 17, even as it stressed that power distributors must make more efforts to rectify their defective networks and educate the general public on the need for extreme caution with the use of electricity.