By Seun Ibiyemi
The Federal Government has launched a crackdown on massive electricity theft and commercial losses along the 132kV Ikorodu–Sagamu industrial corridor, with unaccounted power estimated at 100 megawatts and an annual revenue loss of about ₦120 billion.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, announced the intervention on Friday during a high-level stakeholder meeting with industrial operators, electricity market participants and regulators in Lagos.
Tegbe directed stakeholders to conduct a transparent and science-based investigation into discrepancies between the volume of electricity transmitted through the corridor and the energy officially billed and accounted for by distribution companies.
The Ikorodu–Sagamu corridor has emerged as one of Nigeria’s major industrial and manufacturing hubs, hosting several large electricity consumers.
According to the Minister, technological monitoring systems deployed by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) have provided greater visibility into electricity flows and revealed significant loading anomalies and commercial losses across the network.
Tegbe said the Federal Government remained committed to supporting industrial growth under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, but stressed that improved electricity supply must be accompanied by accountability and accurate billing.
He assured manufacturers of sustained power supply while warning that the government would no longer tolerate practices that undermine the financial sustainability of the electricity market.
The Minister specifically warned against meter tampering, deliberate manipulation of consumption data and interference with electricity infrastructure, insisting that consumers must be held accountable for the power they actually consume.
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The stakeholder meeting brought together senior officials from across the electricity value chain, including the Managing Director and Executive Directors of NISO, representatives of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and the chief executives of Ikeja Electric and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
Representatives of industries operating along the Ikorodu–Sagamu corridor also participated in the engagement.
Tegbe charged all stakeholders to cooperate fully with the technical investigation to identify the sources of the unaccounted electricity, eliminate revenue leakages and strengthen the financial stability of the Nigerian electricity market.
The intervention comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to reduce technical and commercial losses in the power sector while improving electricity supply to Nigeria’s industrial clusters.
