...Says actions, breach of trust
*Energy theft
Kaduna — A Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Ustaz Haroun Musa, has called on Muslims to desist from breaking any rule or term of their contract with electricity distribution companies to gain unfair advantage, describing such acts as ”breach of amanat in Islam”.
The Islamic cleric, who made the admonition in Kaduna while delivering a lecture on the position of Islam on energy theft, asserted that any deceitful, dishonest or fraudulent act such illegal connection of electricity, meter bypass or tampering that gives unfair or undeserved advantage to a person is contrary to the dictates of Islam.
Quoting from the Holy Quran and Prophetic traditions, Ustaz Haroun contended that ”the entire life of a Muslim, including his conduct in any transaction with his fellow human beings, is a trust and everyone shall give account of the trust given to him/her in the hereafter”.
He beckoned on all electricity users to eschew illegal connection of electricity supply or unauthorised tampering with any equipment as any unit of electricity taken illegally would be accounted for in the day of reckoning.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Managing Director of Kaduna Electric, Engr. Garba Haruna, who was represented by the Head, Corporate Communication of the Company, AbdulAzeez Abdullahi, appealed to Islamic scholars to educate their wards on the importance of payment of electricity bills and the negative effects of illegal activities on the company’s network.
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Engr. Haruna contended that the company was doing a lot to ensure improved service delivery but the response to payment of bills by electricity users has remained unimpressive, which according to him, is making it difficult for Kaduna Electric to discharge its obligations to other stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Market.
He warmed that the company would not hesitate to bring to justice anybody found committing any of the established electricity offences.
He called on the clerics to leverage on their positions in the society to educate their congregation on the new Service Based Tariff recently approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.
