FCT Chief Judge Warns Against Grave Consequences Of Non-protection Of Electricity Infrastructure, National Assets

—-Charges DisCos To Render Quality Services

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chief Judge, Justice Ishak Bello, has charged law enforcement agencies to rise up to the challenge of protecting national assets such as electricity theft and  infrastructure to avert grave consequences of its destruction by criminal elements.

He noted that electricity is a critical national asset that supports socioeconomic development which must be protected to ensure sustained growth in the economy of the country.

Justice Bello while speaking at a sensitisation workshop on Monday organised by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), on electricity theft for Judges and Magistrates within the FCT, however, warned electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to be conscious of the many disturbing situations affecting the consumers and ensure efficient service delivery.

He said: “Attack on electricity distribution and generation will be a source of economic distress in a country that is trying so hard to set its generation and distribution on a sound footing.

“Consequently, if we don’t move fast, criminals will continue to explore the vulnerable aspects of the system to inflict damages to electricity and other critical infrastructure and the consequences will be very grave.”

Further, he expressed concerns on what he termed “the transgressions on the services being delivered by electricity distribution companies” and what penalties are there.

The FCT Chief Judge explained that the essence of the workshop which is to stimulate the minds of the service providers that will awaken the judiciary to its responsibility towards the organisation and reawaken the organisations to see the many disturbing situations affecting the consumers.

He said the disturbing situations include abrupt taking of lights resulting to causing diverstating effects on electronics, food items particularly when the outage is taken over a protracted period of time, which sometimes even escalated to outbreak of fire.

He said the sensitisation workshop will help to update the knowledge of judges and magistrates in one of the most important sector, enable them to follow trends of argument in adjudication of case in electricity sector and render sound judgement  in cases.

The AEDC Managing Director, Ernest Mpuwaya, said that there is a correlation between the amount of electricity pursued and the level of development in any country.

He said the workshop is meant to enlighten the judiciary on the operations and challenges of the sector and collaborate in tackling the challenges of electricity theft.

He said: “But the nation has taken a bold step to ensure that there is transformation in the sector. This transmission is ambitious and one of the largest which had been undertaken in the world.

“The major problem we are facing in the sector is characterized by liquidity challenge but if you analyse further, the main reason that underpins this challenge can be traced to the theft of electricity and unaccounted for energy in the sector.”