Over 20 Nigerian Electricity Workers Die On Duty – NERC Confirms

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has confirmed that at least twenty-three of its staff died on duty recently.

In a publication on Thursday, NERC revealed that the electricity workers lost their lives 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.

“The total number of accidents in 2024/Q1 was 55, which resulted in 31 injuries and 23 fatalities,” the report revealed.

In the first quarter of 2024, the primary causes of casualties were identified as wire snaps resulting in six deaths and six injuries, illegal/unauthorized access leading to five deaths and two injuries, acts of vandalism causing two deaths and five injuries, unsafe acts/conditions resulting in 10 deaths and 12 injuries, and falls from height causing two injuries.

The report highlighted that out of the total 54 casualties reported, 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 per cent of casualties recorded in 2024/Q1, continuing a trend observed in previous quarters (98.48 per cent in 2023/Q4) that the distribution segment is the biggest contributor to safety issues experienced in the NESI (Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry”, the report partly reads.

The report is indicative of a lack of safety procedures in the Nigerian Electricity supply industry.