General News
Gazette LECAN now to end quackery and energy theft in South-South – Engr. Ewesor
Our Correspondent in Abuja
The Licensed Electrical Contractor Association of Nigeria (LECAN), has called on the Federal Government to urgently gazette the association to give it legal authority to regulate electrical installations and curb energy theft in the South Zone.
The National Coordinator, South-South Zone, Engineer Philip Ewesor made the call during an interview, saying the absence of legal backing has incapacitated LECAN despite being established since 1961.
“Nigerian Barristers Association (NBA) is gazetted, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is gazetted. LECAN is not gazetted. Yet we are the ones who certify that a house is safe before it is connected to the grid. Without gazetting, anyone can claim to be an electrician,” he said.
Ewesor explained that under NESI rules, Form 74 must be completed for every new connection and must be signed by a certified LECAN electrician. But he said DISCOs routinely ignore this.
The LECAN boss identified metering as another crisis. “We have two DISCOs in South and meters are not available. People are placed on estimated billing that is outrageous. When the bill comes and it is not what you consumed, you get discouraged.”
He said the Federal Government’s free meter program is a welcome development and installations are ongoing. “At least there is response now. But it must be sustained and accelerated.”
On transformers, Ewesor said overload is common because there are too few of them. “When one transformer is serving 500 houses, it will pack up. And when it packs up, communities stay in darkness.”
He also spoke on community efforts to help. “An illustrious son will buy a transformer to relieve an overloaded one. Instead of the DISCO to be happy, they will say go and clear all debts first. That discourages people. If you connect it, people will pay because they are seeing light.”
The engineer lamented that DISCOs are more concerned about revenue than maintenance. “Their substations are in the bush. No fencing, no clearing. Vandals enter and cut cables with ease. If you maintain and make it visible, vandalism will reduce.”
Ewesor revealed that LECAN has interfaced with the House of Representatives Committee on Power and NEMSA in Abuja. “NEMSA said they are willing to cooperate with us as long as we stand for standards.”
He said the national body of LECAN is pushing for gazetting through legislative channels. “We cannot wrestle with DISCOs. But once we are gazetted, our recommendations will carry weight.”
Concluding, Ewesor said gazetting LECAN is not about the association, but about saving the power sector. “It will help checkmate quacks, reduce vandalism, and ensure that only certified people do electrical work. That is how we will have stable power in South.”