The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has requested the intervention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to address widespread vandalism of power infrastructure and energy theft, which he said are costing Nigeria’s power sector billions of naira every year.
Tegbe made the appeal on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He was accompanied by a delegation from the Ministry of Power.According to a statement by EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, the minister explained that the ministry lacks the statutory authority to prosecute offenders involved in these crimes and therefore needs the anti-graft agency’s support for investigation and prosecution.
Tegbe highlighted two key areas requiring urgent attention. On vandalism, he said thieves are stealing manhole covers and other valuable components, damaging transmission towers and other critical infrastructure across the country.
“There is a lot of vandalism going on in this country. People are stealing manhole covers and other valuables. The vandalism is affecting our towers,” he said.
“The President has charged us to create awareness and also prosecute people (those stealing and buying), but we do not have the power to prosecute offenders. We can only report to you. They can be arrested and prosecuted. We believe the Commission can help us in that area. We need to collaborate.”
On energy theft, Tegbe noted that some companies and consumers with access to electricity fail to pay their bills, leading to major revenue losses.
“The second area is energy theft. Companies that have access to power do not pay electricity bills. We are losing billions annually. We need your intervention,” he added.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede described the acts as revenue fraud and forms of economic sabotage, and pledged the commission’s collaboration with the Ministry of Power to tackle the problems.
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