Okorie: When you buy a transformer, NEPA is supposed to pay you, but they hide this policy

In a fiery interview on Voice Tv Friday, August 15, 2025, Chief Princewill Okorie, Executive Director of the Electricity Consumer Advocate Center (ECAC), sharply criticized the recent statement by the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) — now operating as distribution companies (DisCos) — in which the agency likened Nigerians who bypass electricity meters to criminals “worse and more dangerous than kidnappers.”

Okorie described NEPA’s comparison as “outrageous, insensitive, and deeply insulting to the suffering masses,” asserting that the organization itself has failed in its responsibility to provide adequate power supply despite collecting billions of naira from consumers.

“NEPA is more dangerous than HIV,” Okorie declared during the interview. “HIV does not demand money from you every month without giving you anything in return. But NEPA takes citizens’ money consistently without rendering the service they are paid for. That is exploitation at its peak.”

The ECAC director also drew attention to what he called the “hidden truth” about third-party investment policies in the electricity sector. He explained that under existing regulations, private individuals or communities who purchase and install transformers — effectively performing part of the DisCos’ distribution duties — are entitled to compensation or reimbursement. However, he alleged that most Nigerians are unaware of this policy because distribution companies “deliberately keep the information away from the public.

“When you buy a transformer for your community, you are helping NEPA distribute its service. By law, they are supposed to pay you back. But their wicked and exploitative mindset prevents them from informing citizens. Instead, they make the people bear the cost of infrastructure they themselves are meant to provide,” he said.

Okorie called for urgent reforms in the electricity sector, stressing the need for transparency, consumer education, and accountability from both government regulators and private distribution companies.

“Until NEPA and the DisCos are made to face the same level of scrutiny they place on citizens, the electricity crisis in Nigeria will persist,” he concluded.

COURYESY: GIST123