Fighting Energy Theft
Requires Tenacity and Patience - Nafiu Inuwa
CCD: Tell us a bit about yourself?
NI: My name is Nafi'u Inuwa from Enforcement and
Assessment Unit. I'm presently, the Team Lead, Doka Enforcement team covering
both Doka South and North.
CCD: What are your Primary Responsibilities? 
NI: My primary responsibility is ensuring reduction of collection and
commercial as well as technical losses. This involves monitoring and certifying
meters which includes MD and PPM within Doka AOs.
CCD: Report reaching us indicate that most of the prepaid meters
have been compromised, is this an indication that your unit is not doing
enough?
NI: I don't know where you are getting the report that most PPM
meters had been compromised. It is fallacy to say that most meters had been
compromised. However, it’s a known fact that no matter the effort that we are
doing to reduce meter bypass, we can't actually stop it completely. As you try
to block some energy theft cases, new ones will spring up. Between January
2018-2019 we caught close to 300 customers with all kinds of infractions (internal
& external) bypasses. This record tells you that we have not been relaxing.
CCD: What are the major challenges you encounter?
NI: Our challenges are many but major amongst them are:
1- Lack of training
2- Motivation
3- Security (i.e with regards doing our work)
CCD: Some of our customers are now so ingenious that they
carefully by passes meter internally that is often difficult to detect, how do
you detect such internal bypass?
NI: Lately, bypass has become so sophisticated that it will take you
hours sometimes days to detect. Customers are deploying new tactics, employing
people who will always try to do one sophisticated bypass or the other. We've
got good staff in Enforcement who possessed the expertise to check all kinds of
bypass. However, the more you acquaint yourself with some sophisticated methods
of bypass, the more the new ones will come up. Lastly, having Meter Lab is also
helping in detecting sophisticated bypass.
CCD: What are the different penalties for energy theft?
NI: There are different categories of penalties. There is the first
offense charge for 3 phase which is 100,000 (as reviewed recently by NERC)
There is also first offense charge for 1phase which is 50,000.
There are also second offense for 3phase which is 150,000 and 75,000 for 1
phase.
CCD: How do you see the recent inauguration of Special
investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences, SIPTEO?
NI: The recent inauguration of SIPTEO is a welcome development as it
will help KE reduce energy loss while taking punitive measures against
recalcitrant customers.
CCD:What do you consider as your major achievement since you assumed duty?
NI: In terms of Naira and Kobo, between January
2018 to January 2019 Doka collected 30 million in LOR, Penalty, meter fee and
Reconnection.
Second
achievement has to do with fostering good working relationship amongst the
teams. Managing people has been one of the most difficult task in any organization.
CCD: How best do we
checkmate energy theft and other offences?
NI: Checkmating energy theft involves data analysis (probing customer
vending history and energy supply to a feeder) and some time it require physical monitoring while also hoping to receive intelligence information and from friendly customers
CCD: Any appeal or suggestion to staff or management?
NI: I will like to appeal for continuous support (in terms of
providing tools, training and motivation) from management as well as continuous
cooperation with other departments.
Before I close, I want to use the opportunity to extend my
appreciation to the staff of Assessment cell, my Doka family (team) as well
Engr. Ahmed Isa, Doka Area Manager and Eng Gumel and my other colleagues at
other Area offices.
I want to close by thanking you and also remind each and every
staff that EVERY KILOWATT MATTERS and EVERY KOBO COUNTS
