The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has confirmed the recent deaths of at least twenty-three of its staff members while on duty. In a publication on Thursday, NERC disclosed that these fatalities occurred in the first quarter of 2024.
The electricity commission’s report, which detailed its recent operations, further revealed that among the 55 accidents documented during this period, 23 resulted in fatalities.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that 31 additional workers sustained injuries as a consequence of these accidents.
Naija News
Over 20 Nigerian Electricity Workers Die on Duty – NERC Confirms
Published on 26 July 2024 at 9:05 AM by Richard Ogunsile
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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has confirmed that at least twenty-three of its staff members recently died on duty. In a publication on Thursday, NERC disclosed that these fatalities occurred in the first quarter of 2024.
The commission’s report, which detailed its recent operations, revealed that among the 55 accidents documented during this period, 23 resulted in fatalities. Additionally, 31 workers sustained injuries due to these accidents.
“The total number of accidents in 2024/Q1 was 55, which resulted in 31 injuries and 23 fatalities,” the report stated.
The report identified the primary causes of casualties in the first quarter of 2024 as follows:
– Wire snaps: 6 deaths, 6 injuries
– Illegal/unauthorized access: 5 deaths, 2 injuries
– Acts of vandalism: 2 deaths, 5 injuries
– Unsafe acts/conditions: 10 deaths, 12 injuries
– Falls from height: 2 injuries
The report also highlighted that the licensees with the highest number of casualties were Eko Disco (13), Benin Disco (8), Jos Disco (6), and Aba Power (6).
Cumulatively, Discos accounted for 96.30 percent of casualties recorded in the first quarter of 2024, continuing a trend observed in previous quarters (98.48 percent in Q4 2023), showing that the distribution segment is the biggest contributor to safety issues in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI),” the report partly reads.
The report highlights a concerning lack of safety procedures in the Nigerian electricity supply industry.