149 Personnel Killed, Injured In Electricity-related Incidents Nationwide, Says NERC

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has expressed concerns over the rising cases of electricity-related accidents and deaths in the power sector.

According to the commission, Electricity-related incidents involving fallen distribution lines, illegal connections, poorly executed installations and unsafe maintenance practices frequently reported across the country.

A top official of the Commission, Joseph John, who made the reservation while speaking at a one-day stakeholders’ engagement with the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry on enhancing vocational training delivery for the power sector, described the ugly trend as alarming

John explained that the breakdown of the incidents showed that no fewer than 149 electricity personnel were killed or injured in electricity-related incidents across Nigeria’s power sector between the first and third quarters of 2025.

He added that in 2024, a total of 112 Nigerians lost their lives in electricity-related incidents in 2024, compared with the 115 deaths recorded in 2023.

According to him, most of the fatalities were caused by human error arising from poor technical skills and inadequate training.

John said data from industry operators and safety agencies show that technicians, linemen and members of the public are often electrocuted during repairs, meter installations or as a result of exposed cables and weak safety enforcement.

 “We are very mindful, as regulators in the industry, that we have a mandate to ensure that adequate electricity is provided to the citizens. In doing this, we strive to ensure that we grow our generation capacity and to ensure that we have stability in the system. But none of this can be done without the requisite and oversight of human capacity,” he added.

He noted that one of the major challenges facing the industry, particularly in closing Nigeria’s wide metering gap, was the shortage of skilled technicians.

“We know the issues, challenges that we have in the industry. In terms of scaling up and trying to close the metering gap, we have a bigger challenge, which has to do with manpower. In the trajectory, we are expecting that a lot of meters will be coming into the country, but these meters cannot be installed, but they must install themselves. We expect a lot of meters to come into the country, but meters will not install themselves. People have to do it. That is where the skills gap becomes critical,” he said.

According to him, poorly trained operators and maintenance personnel were a major cause of electricity accidents across the value chain.