By: Fatou Krubally
The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) says electricity theft has reached a worrying level, with an estimated 30 to 40 percent of power entering the national grid going unpaid because of illegal connections and meter bypasses.
NAWEC Public Relations Officer Buba Badjie says the situation is affecting the company’s revenue, as the utility effectively collects payment for only about 60 to 70 percent of the electricity it distributes.
Speaking on Kerr Fatou’s The Grand Bantaba programme, Badjie described electricity theft as a serious and increasingly widespread problem affecting both households and businesses.
He discloses that some customers bypass NAWEC meters or make unauthorised connections to the company’s lines, allowing them to consume electricity without being billed.
In response, NAWEC has established a special task force led by the company’s energy adviser to identify and deal with cases of electricity theft.
Badjie said the task force has already apprehended several individuals. Some, he added, have been fined and required to make payments to NAWEC.
He warns that more arrests are expected in the coming weeks as the company intensifies its efforts against illegal connections.
Asked why NAWEC had not publicly identified those apprehended, Badjie said the company must follow due process.
“Human beings have rights, the country has laws, and NAWEC also has procedures,” he said, explaining that the company could not simply take the matter to the public before completing the required procedures.
Badjie said NAWEC intends to publish the names of offenders once the necessary legal and administrative processes have been completed.
With the company estimating that up to 40 percent of electricity supplied to the grid is going unpaid because of theft, NAWEC’s latest crackdown signals a stronger push to tackle illegal connections and protect its revenue.
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