By Boluwatife Ezekiel Olaleye
A total of 82 persons including employees of electricity distribution companies, Transmission Company of Nigeria, as well as power consumers lost their lives in various accidents in Nigeria’s power sector between January and July this year, National Daily reports.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), 14 employees of both TCN and the Discos, and 68 other victims, who were classified as third party individuals, lost their lives during the period under review. In its report on the Safety Ranking for Discos and the TCN from January to July 2017, which was released this August, NEMSA stated that 67 accidents with fatalities had so far been recorded this year.
The report stated that Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Discos recorded the highest number of fatalities or deaths in the sector since the beginning of 2017. Specifically, while 20 individuals lost their lives in the locations covered by the Abuja Disco, 11 persons died in each of the areas under the electricity supply and distribution management of both Kano and Port Harcourt Discos.