The President of the Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, Mr. Kunle Olubiyo, has raised concerns over the persistent revenue losses in Nigeria’s power sector, blaming the situation on widespread electricity theft and outdated metering infrastructure.
Olubiyo made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja, where he said energy theft remains a serious challenge across the entire electricity value chain, including generation, transmission and distribution.
According to him, electricity theft at the consumer level takes different forms such as metre bypass, illegal power connections and unauthorised consumption of electricity without proper billing.
He explained that some individuals secretly connect underground cables directly to their homes and businesses without being metered, while others manipulate the estimated billing system to avoid payment for power consumed.
“Many consumers are enjoying electricity without paying through illegal connections and metre bypass. That amounts to energy theft,” he said.
Olubiyo also alleged that energy theft occurs within the sector itself through the use of obsolete, faulty or poorly installed meters used to monitor electricity generation and supply.