Moses Ofodeme
Stakeholders in the Nigeria electricity industry have agreed to drive a framework with a renewed commitment to cut workplace accidents across the power sector.
The commitment was made when Health, Safety and Environment, HSE, Managers from Power Generation Companies (GenCos) Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Distribution Companies (DisCos) converged in Abuja for a high-level safety review hosted by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.
The three-day biannual NESI HSE Managers’ Meeting, themed “Repositioning NESI for Accident-Free Operations: A Shared Responsibility,” brought together more than 50 HSE and Performance Managers, including Chief Technical Officers from 12 DisCos, 28 GenCos, TCN and NERC officials.
Setting the tone, Head of Technical Regulation Division at NERC, Dr. Abu Kadiri, challenged operators to abandon complacency and confront the industry’s safety lapses with honesty and urgency.
“If we have recorded success, it is for all of us; and if we have failed, it is for us too,” Kadiri said, stressing that a safer electricity network depends on collective commitment, transparent reporting and stricter field discipline.
The meeting featured a detailed review of accident data across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, including significant incident reports and safety compliance levels of operators.
Participants also assessed HSE budget performance and debated strategies for reducing electrocution cases, equipment-related accidents and unsafe field practices.
The NERC emphasised that failure to improve safety culture could slow ongoing reforms and undermine consumer confidence in the power sector.
DisCos and GenCos reviewed legal obligations surrounding accident investigations, enforcement actions and compliance, as regulators reiterated that accident-free operations must become a core operational standard, not an aspirational goal.
With the sector recording recurring incidents linked to poor maintenance, inadequate PPE usage and weak supervision, operators pledged to deepen staff training, improve reporting mechanisms and align safety investments with global standards.
The session is expected to feed into new regulatory directives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electricity safety framework and driving the industry toward a zero-accident target.