TheCable

Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, has recommended capital punishment for theft and vandalisation of power infrastructure.

Adelabu spoke to journalists in Abuja on Monday while reacting to the frequent destruction of power infrastructure.

Capital punishment refers to the process of sentencing convicted offenders to death for the most serious crimes and carrying out that sentence.

The specific offences and circumstances that determine if a crime is eligible for a death sentence are defined by statutes.

Adelabu said the issue of power infrastructure vandalisation and theft is one of the pains the sector is going through.

“The ministry of power and agencies under it is pushing for capital punishment for those involved in vandalisation and power thefts of all forms,” the minister said.

“Capital punishment is not too much because they are gradually killing the nation. They are killing the economy. They are killing the people.

“Vandals are getting too many comfort all over transmission and distribution power assets.

“This is not only frustrating our efforts to achieve uninterrupted power supply, it is driving the nation backward.”

Adelabu said Nigerians must realise that these assets belong to them, and so they must protect them, adding that it was taxpayers’ funds that were utilised to acquire them.

He said the ministry of power is collaborating with the office of the national security adviser and security agencies to protect power infrastructure as it cost a lot of money to replace damaged facilities.

Adelabu said the ministry is also collaborating with states for their protection framework to protect electricity infrastructure.

He said the federal government is also trying to provide at least two million meters on a yearly basis “so that in four to five years, the huge meter gap will disappear or significantly reduce”.

Adelabu said there is already a presidential metering initiative that is working on the metering gap.

“We already have a seed fund of N75 billion to start working. And we are also going to have some debt injection from the Nigerian Sovereign Investments Authority to complement the fund,” he said.

“There is even a possibility of increasing the fund to a N100 billion. We have a planned intervention to reduce the meter gap but the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) must also sit up.

“We need to interrogate their metering plans and give them the minimum target they must achieve in a year.”

The minister said as the meter gap decreases and new communities are connected to the grid, there is also a need for heightened aggression in addressing the issue.