Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The National Assembly House Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening legislative measures aimed at curbing the increasing menace of energy theft across Nigeria’s power sector. This assurance was given during an oversight visit to Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc, IBEDC, by the Committee.
The Chairman of the Committee Hon. Engr. Hamisu Ibrahim, who gave the assurance during an interactive session with the Executive Management of IBEDC, disclosed that the National Assembly is currently intensifying efforts on a bill to combat energy theft through stricter penalties, enhanced enforcement, and improved protection of electricity assets.
“Energy theft has become a major obstacle to efficient electricity distribution in Nigeria. We are working on a robust legal framework that will decisively address this menace and safeguard infrastructure investments,” the Chairman stated.
He further pledged the Committee’s support in helping electricity distribution companies, DisCos, recover huge outstanding debts owed by federal and state ministries, departments, agencies, and local governments. According to him, the Committee is ready to collaborate with the DisCos to ensure that the debts are duly settled to strengthen liquidity across the power sector.
“I want to assure the DisCos that this Committee is going to stand firm to ensure these debts are recovered,” He added.
The assurance followed the appeal by IBEDC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Francis Agoha, who called for the National Assembly’s intervention on the twin challenges of energy theft and outstanding debts by federal and state institutions. He emphasized that these issues have significantly constrained liquidity across the market, affecting IBEDC’s capacity to further expand and fortify its distribution infrastructure.
Engr. Agoha briefed the Committee on IBEDC’s investments and infrastructure improvements since the 2013 privatisation, highlighting progress made in network expansion, metering, safety, and customer service delivery. He also outlined the company’s strategic plans for future growth, while noting the challenges faced.
“We have significantly expanded and rehabilitated our distribution network, but the challenges of energy theft, vandalism, and outstanding government debts continue to undermine our service delivery. We appreciate the National Assembly’s willingness to intervene,” he said.
The Committee inspected critical distribution infrastructure of IBEDC. The visit formed part of the legislature’s mandate to assess the power sector performance, identify operational challenges, and compliance with regulatory standards since privatisation.
Other members of the Committee present during the visit included Ganiyu Ayuba, Member representing Alimosho Federal Constituency (Lagos), Donatus Mathew (Kaura Federal Constituency, Kaduna), Omirin Olusanya (Atakunmosa/Ilesa, Osun), and representatives from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
