Yemisi Izuora
In its continued fight against energy theft within its area of operations Eko Electricity Distribution Company has launched ‘Operation Name and Shame’.
Speaking to correspondents after launching the programme in Lagos, EKEDC MD/CEO Engr. Oladele Amoda said the exercise was aimed at fishing out everyone engaging in energy theft through meter bypass, illegal connection or reconnection and publishing the names and house address of such people in both conventional and social media.
This, he said, would be in addition to handing over culprits caught in the criminal act to law enforcement agencies for possible prosecution.
Engr. Amoda said apart from depriving the company of revenue due to it, energy theft is also an act of economic sabotage that is capable of derailing the desired total transformation in the energy sector as being envisioned by the present federal administration.
The Eko Disco MD said the company would not fold its arms and watch some unscrupulous criminal elements prevent it from its goal of giving the very best of services to its customers.
Speaking further, he said since energy theft is a crime against the law of the land, law abiding citizens should not aid and abet perpetrators by keeping quiet when they see such acts being perpetrated within their vicinity.
He therefore implored members of the public to report cases of energy theft to the nearest EKEDC Office or security agencies. He further hinted that customers can avail themselves of the opportunity of the company’s newly introduced whistle blowing policy which has enticing rewards for anybody who comes up with useful information leading to the apprehension of energy thieves and other criminal elements either among the staff or customers of the company.
‘If we all desire good electricity supply services, we must also be ready to play our part in sanitising the electricity supply system and environment in order to rid it of unwholesome practices such as energy theft and other forms o fraud’. Engr. Amoda said