The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) said it has inspected networks belonging to nine of the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) while reporting the occurrence of 146 electrical accidents that killed 113 and injured 77 others in 2017.
In a report presented at the 23rd Power Sector Meeting in Lafia on Monday by the Managing Director, Engr. Peter Ewesor, the agency said seven persons were electrocuted in five accidents that occurred last month.
“The national monitoring and technical evaluation of all 33kV primary feeder lines and associated 33/11kV injection substations and their outgoing feeders on-going with nine DisCos concluded,” he said.
He also urged the inspected DisCos to intensify efforts at revamping their protection schemes and equipment and educate the public on the need for extreme caution using electricity.
“Operators of the power sector to note that target for electrocutions nationwide is zero,” Ewesor added.
Breakdown of the reported accidents for 2017 shows that for December 2017, Port Harcourt DisCo recorded two accidents which killed three persons; Abuja DisCo recorded an accident that claimed two lives; Kano also recorded a death from one accident while Eko DisCo had one accident with one death.
From the statistics, 190 people were victims of 146 electrical accidents in 2017: 113 of these died in 95 accidents while 77 others sustained injuries in another 51 accidents.
The most of 21 fatal accidents occurred under Abuja DisCo and the least of one fatal accident under the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The analysis indicates that under Abuja DisCo, 26 non staff died of electrical accidents in 21 accidents. Nine other accidents injured three staff and 10 persons.
Kano DisCo recorded 15 accidents that killed 17 persons; it also had 12 other accidents that injured seven staff and 14 persons. Under Jos DisCo, 12 accidents killed seven staff and seven non staff; it had six other accidents that injured five staff and one person.
At Ibadan DisCo, 11 persons died from 11 accidents while five other accidents injured three staff and two other persons. Six non staff and two staff died from eight accidents under Benin DisCo while it recorded no injury throughout 2017.
Port Harcourt DisCo also recorded eight accidents that killed 17 17 persons while two other accidents injured one staff and 10 other persons.
Kaduna DisCo recorded six accidents which killed four persons and two staff; three other accidents injured two staff and one person.
Yola DisCo had four accidents that killed one staff and three non-staff while one accident injured a non-staff. Eko DisCo also had four accidents that killed two staff and two non-staff while one accident injured a staff.
Three accidents at Enugu DisCo claimed killed two staff and one other person while one accident injured a staff in 2017. At Ikeja DisCo, one staff and another person were killed from two accidents while 10 other accidents injured nine staff and two others.
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