Stiff penalty awaits vandals, saboteurs of electricity infrastructure

.As Electricity Act amendment Bill, 2025 scales 2nd reading in Senate

IGNATIUS OKOROCHA, Abuja

The Senate on Wednesday passed to the second reading the Electricity Act Amendment Bill 2025.

This followed the presentation of the lead debate on the general principles of the bill during plenary by the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA-Abia).

Leading the debate, Abaribe said the primary objective of the Bill is to address critical issues that have emerged since the Implementation of the Electricity Act, 2023.

He said that specifically, the Bill seeks to introduce provisions that would enhance policy and regulatory coordination between national and sub-national governments to avoid legal disputes and inconsistencies.

“Strengthen sectoral financing in the face of crippling sector debt crisis: Criminalise critical electricity infrastructure vandalism in the face of the rising wave of recurrent sabotage by vandals.

“Foster industrial relations in the sector by balancing labour rights in the context of essential services as recognised by domestic and international best labour practices and Instruments.

“Clarify ongoing transitional provisions for the transfer of intrastate electricity matters from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to State Governments.

“Especially matters having bearing on the operation of the national grid system and other overlapping issues”.

Abaribe, who is Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, also said that the current state of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has been an Issue of concern to the 10th Senate and even the previous Nigerian Senate.

He added that the Nigerian power sector “is hanging on a cliff” and requires immediate and drastic action to rescue it from total collapse.

This, he attributed to pervasive operational constraints across the power value chain and crippling debt crisis running into trillions of Naira.

“This Bill should therefore be seen as part of the broader efforts to salvage the power sector from imminent collapse”.

Decrying the issues bedevilling the power sector, Sen. Garba Maidoki (APC-Kebbi) said “I cannot imagine as a senator, I cannot pay my power bill for one month.

“Then what am I working here (National Assembly) for; what of the ordinary person.

” I think we need to take this totally so that this rate of electricity should be generated in such a way that Nigerians will be able to enjoy these natural resources”.

Also, Sen. Abdulfatai Buhari (APC-Oyo) said: “Mr. President, if you look at and realise critical electricity infrastructure, one of the biggest problems we have in this country today is punitive measures.

” How can you install, and you are paid for the job done, and then you now go back to carry it away and when you are now caught, they take you to court, and say they’ve given you a day.

“If there is no real punitive measure like the mover of the bill said, we’ll continue to go up and down”.

Similarly, Sen. Yunus Akintunde (APC-Oyo) said: “The electricity issue; Gencos  and Discos are not contractors. They are privately owned companies that are in operation and they are in business on their own.

“The main issue with electricity supply in Nigeria is when you license some people to generate electricity.

“You license some people to distribute electricity. And government, Mr. President, sir, our government is already on the transmission.

“I know, I believe that is one of the critical problems that electricity supply is having.

“If you look at the infrastructure in transmission, they are old and they are not being useful again.

“I have been an apostle  of the gospel that government money should not be used to buy transformers”.

In his remarks, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, congratulated the Chairman and members of the Committee on Power for the bill.

“I hope that by the time it goes through public hearing… the issues that bother the Nigerian public will be addressed.

“Without electricity, there is no way we can have industrial growth in the country and so everybody is looking forward to the transformation of this sector”.