Energy Theft Worsens Blackouts as Igwe Achebe, FirstPower Unite to Protect Electricity Supply in Onitsha

Residents and businesses in Onitsha have continued to grapple with erratic electricity supply, rising operational costs and mounting financial losses caused by illegal electricity connections, meter bypass and widespread energy theft. These challenges have not only weakened power distribution but have also slowed economic activities in one of Nigeria’s busiest commercial cities.

Determined to confront the growing problem, the Obi in Council of Onitsha Kingdom and FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited have inaugurated a Joint Action Committee to coordinate community based efforts against electricity theft, meter tampering, unpaid electricity bills, vandalism and other practices threatening reliable power supply.

The committee was inaugurated during a strategic meeting at the Palace of the Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, bringing together members of the Obi in Council and the management of FirstPower. The initiative followed earlier engagements aimed at finding practical and lasting solutions to the electricity challenges confronting Onitsha and neighbouring communities.

The committee is expected to serve as a bridge between the electricity distribution company and the people by promoting public awareness, encouraging prompt resolution of customer complaints, monitoring illegal activities and strengthening compliance with electricity regulations. It will also support community participation in protecting power infrastructure and improving service delivery.

Speaking during the meeting, the Palace maintained that the initiative reflects a collective determination to safeguard electricity infrastructure and ensure that every consumer contributes fairly to the sustainability of the power sector. The Council also acknowledged noticeable improvements in electricity supply since discussions with FirstPower began and urged the company to sustain the progress.

FirstPower Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Okechukwu Okafor, outlined the realities confronting electricity distribution in the country, including increasing energy procurement costs, commercial losses, illegal connections and huge outstanding customer debts. He also highlighted the company’s ongoing mass metering programme and the establishment of a Meter Laboratory in Onitsha to speed up meter testing, calibration and installation.

The company maintained that quality electricity supply can only be sustained where customers pay for the energy they consume and reject practices such as meter bypass and energy theft, which continue to undermine investments in the sector.

Addressing the gathering, the Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, described electricity theft, meter tampering and deliberate non payment of electricity bills as acts that violate the values and traditions of the Onitsha Kingdom. He declared that anyone involved in such practices commits an abomination against the community and should be treated as a criminal rather than celebrated.

The monarch also appealed to residents to appreciate the economic realities affecting electricity distribution, noting that rising operational costs inevitably influence electricity tariffs. He stressed that lasting improvement in power supply requires cooperation between electricity providers and consumers.

To strengthen public understanding, the Obi in Council announced plans to organise a town hall meeting that will bring together FirstPower and residents of Onitsha to educate consumers on electricity operations, metering, energy conservation and their responsibilities in protecting electricity infrastructure.

The partnership between the traditional institution and FirstPower is expected to deepen community participation in tackling electricity theft while promoting a more transparent, accountable and sustainable electricity distribution system. Stakeholders believe the initiative could become a model for addressing power related challenges in other communities across Anambra State where energy theft and infrastructure vandalism continue to undermine reliable electricity supply.