2 hours ago
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Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have raised security concerns over night inspections by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc (AEDC) to detect meter bypasses and other forms of electricity theft.
The residents of Wuse, Garki and the Central Business District (CBD) expressed their concerns in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
They acknowledged the need to tackle electricity theft but urged the company to conduct inspections during the day, properly identify its personnel and notify customers ahead of enforcement exercises where necessary.
Mr Auwal Tanko, a resident of the CBD, said although residents supported AEDC’s efforts to curb electricity theft and meter tampering, conducting inspections at night raised security concerns and created unnecessary tension between consumers and field personnel.
Similarly, Mrs Deborah Wilson, a resident of Wuse, urged the company to restrict its enforcement activities to daytime hours to enable residents to verify the identities of its personnel before granting them access to their premises.
Wilson also called for prior notification of customers where necessary, stressing the need for transparency and compliance with established regulations.
“The officials should ensure that enforcement teams operate transparently and in accordance with regulations.
“The enforcement should balance the need to curb electricity theft with the safety and privacy of consumers,” she said.
Mr James Obiakwu, a resident of Garki, urged AEDC to engage communities and clearly communicate its inspection procedures.
He said such engagement would help residents distinguish legitimate enforcement teams from individuals attempting to gain unauthorised access to their homes.
A customer experience expert, Dr Aliyu Ilias, also called on AEDC to respect consumers’ privacy by adopting technology to detect meter bypasses and other forms of electricity theft without unnecessarily entering residential premises.
Ilias said although electricity theft should not be condoned, the company should explore less intrusive methods of identifying offenders.
“They can even do this from outside the house or through other means.
“For instance, if you recall, the road safety officials can now check your vehicle’s registration number on their system to determine whether your documents have expired.
“They no longer need to stop every vehicle to check physical documents. Technology has made the process easier and less intrusive.
“I think AEDC should explore similar approaches rather than harassing people. What happens when they carry out an inspection and discover that there is no meter bypass?” he asked.
Ilias recalled an incident at his office when AEDC officials entered the premises and began inspecting the prepaid meter.
According to him, the officials apologised after discovering that the meter had not been bypassed.
He, however, said an apology was insufficient to address the concerns arising from such inspections, urging the company to develop technologies that could detect meter bypasses without entering people’s homes.
“We also condemn Nigerians who bypass their meters or engage in electricity theft,” he said.
Responding to the concerns, Mr Omede Odekina, Head of Brand Marketing and Corporate Communications at AEDC, said the company operated a 24-hour electricity distribution network and customer service system, adding that its operations were not restricted to conventional daytime working hours.
Odekina said the company’s experience showed that energy theft, meter bypasses, illegal connections and other forms of electricity theft often occurred under the cover of darkness.
He explained that authorised AEDC personnel might need to conduct inspections at night where there was a legitimate operational or enforcement reason to do so.
“They are criminal acts that have serious consequences for the electricity network; they affect the quality and reliability of supply to law-abiding customers.
“We, therefore, appeal to customers and communities to support AEDC’s efforts to identify and eliminate these activities.
“At the same time, all AEDC personnel are expected to properly identify themselves and conduct their activities professionally and in accordance with approved procedures,” he said.
Odekina also urged media organisations to partner with the company to educate the public on the dangers and consequences of energy theft, vandalism and meter bypasses.
He said public awareness would help customers understand what constituted electricity theft, its effects on other consumers and the legal consequences of such offences.
“Our message is simple: law-abiding customers have nothing to fear from legitimate inspections, regardless of the time of day.
“Where customers have concerns about the identity or conduct of field personnel, they should contact AEDC through our official customer service channels for verification and appropriate action,” he said.
Odekina added that the company remained committed to listening to customers, improving transparency and communication, and taking lawful action to protect the integrity of the electricity distribution network for the benefit of all consumers.
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