Electricity theft: Nigerian Govt probes N120bn annual revenue loss

Nigeria's federal government has initiated a crackdown on widespread electricity theft along the 132-kilovolt Ikorodu–Sagamu industrial corridor, where unaccounted power losses have surged to 100 megawatts, resulting in an estimated annual revenue loss of N120 billion for the electricity market. During a high-level meeting with industrial operators, market participants, and energy regulators in Lagos, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe announced the government's intervention in response to the significant discrepancies between the volume of electricity transmitted and the energy officially billed and accounted for by distribution companies.

Tegbe emphasized the need for a transparent, science-based investigation into the discrepancies, alongside a firm directive to ensure a thorough examination of the troubling loading anomalies and severe commercial losses detected through the deployment of technological monitoring tools by the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO.

The Ikorodu–Sagamu corridor has emerged as one of Nigeria's primary industrial manufacturing hubs, catering to major heavy consumers; however, the increased visibility from these monitoring tools has brought to light concerns over meter tampering, deliberate data manipulation, and infrastructure interference.

Reiterating the administration's commitment to industrial growth under President Bola Tinubu, Tegbe assured manufacturers of sustained power supply while stressing that uninterrupted energy supply must be coupled with strict accountability and accurate billing. The minister declared that the government would no longer tolerate such illicit activities, asserting that every consumer must be held accountable for the actual power consumed.