The issue of safety must be taken seriously
By urging the judiciary to hold electricity distribution companies (DisCos) accountable for the growing number of Nigerians that die from electrocution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has intervened on a serious issue. According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), no fewer than 112 Nigerians died in 2024 from electricity-related accidents. This is just three less than the 115 fatalities in the preceding year 2023. That such tragedies continue to recur raise serious questions about how the authorities in the power sector take the issue of safety.
Indeed, the statistics of death by electrocution is long, especially among consumers and innocent citizens. Based on the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) report, eight key factors have been identified for the mounting tragedies in the sector: Failure of system protection equipment, absence of protection devices in certain areas, poor network maintenance, improper cable termination, and violations of right-of-way regulations. Other causes include slow response times, the use of substandard materials, lack of safety knowledge, and vandalism of power infrastructure. From available records, the time lag between when a fault is reported and fixed can take weeks. There are also times when there would be no response, thus leaving residents with no other choice than a resort to self-help with all the attendant risks.
Despite the privatisation of the power sector, the transmission lines remain the same. In several places across the country today, there are many old and broken down wooden and concrete electricity poles, some with naked wires dangling overhead. It only takes a serious rainfall or heavy wind to blow off some of the poles. In such a situation, inhabitants of the affected areas live in constant fear of instant death. That is why we reiterate our call on the authorities in the power sector to develop a habit of quick response to complaints about fallen electricity poles and exposed live wires. “The judiciary must adopt a proactive stance,” Kekere Ekun said on Tuesday. “Those who flout safety standards must be held responsible, while victims and their families deserve full justice.”
The intervention by Kekere-Ekun should also compel the regulatory authorities to be more alive to their responsibilities. In one incident a few years ago, a high-tension wire snapped off a pole, electrocuting a staff of a power DisCo, and a security guard who had lived and worked in the area for about 30 years. In yet another shocking incident, a middle-aged woman and her son were electrocuted in Osogbo, Osun State by a cable felled by rain. Mother and son reportedly stepped on the live electric cable as they attempted to escape from the electric shocks that reportedly affected their homes when the cable fell.
In 2019, six inmates serving various prison terms at Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos, died of electrocution, following electricity surge that led to an explosion of cables. Several inmates were also injured. Although the then Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola visited the centre in the aftermath and made some feeble promises, no action has been taken since then. While NERC has issued several statements on the number of fatalities from electrocution, we are not aware of any sanction from the regulator.
What the foregoing suggests clearly is that we place little or no premium on human lives. Beyond the risk of electrocution, people living around power lines are prone to possible negative health effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by the transmission lines. We therefore urge authorities in the power sector to come up with stringent policies and implement proper educational programmes regarding the issue of safety as most of the causes of death in the sector are preventable.
