The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has urged the Federal Government to leverage the attack on Ikeja Electric by Airforce personnel from the Sam Ethan Airforce Base in Lagos to set up a committee to carry out a holistic appraisal of the electricity supply debt profiles of other military bases across the country.
This came as the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Friday, condemned the attack, which left several people injured and caused damage to infrastructure, describing it as unacceptable.
NECA said where such debt is found, arrangements should be made to swiftly defray them to adequately preclude a repeat of the attack on the distribution companies (DisCos) anywhere in the country going forward.
The association’s Director-General, Adewale Smatt-Oyerinde, in a statement, on Friday, stressed the urgency and critical importance of preventing the reoccurrence of such an attack, describing it as a national embarrassment.
NECA urged the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Ministry of Defence to swiftly intervene and ensure that the amount owed the company would be paid, while electricity supply is restored to the Base.
The attack was precipitated by the disconnection of electricity supply to the Base by Ikeja Electric over unpaid electricity bills, which ran into millions of naira.
Noting that Ikeja Electric is a private entity that invests money to make gains for its sustainability, the NECA DG observed that the firm operates in a capital-intensive space even as its operation has been grossly affected by the prevailing operating environment.
Smatt-Oyerinde emphasised that Ikeja Electric, as a lawfully registered company in Nigeria, has the right to demand from the management of the Sam Ethan Airforce Base the accumulated electricity debt owed the company and also suspend its service for non-payment.
He said that such intimidation and attack on a company of the caliber of Ikeja Electric shows a high level of impunity, adding that it is a bad omen for the future of the economy.
He also noted that the attack was a wrong signal for prospective domestic and foreign investors, stating that no rational investor would invest money in a country where his investments and personnel are compromised with such impunity as displayed by the Air Force personnel.
Adelabu, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Bolaji Tunji, described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, stressing that disputes should be resolved through legal and democratic channels rather than violence.
“The power sector is critical to our economy and national development. Any attack on its infrastructure affects millions of Nigerians, including homes, hospitals, and industries,” he said, warning that such actions undermine efforts to improve electricity supply.
He urged the Nigerian Air Force to uphold professionalism and avoid actions that threaten public infrastructure. Adelabu also commended Ikeja Electric staff for their resilience, assuring them of the ministry’s support in restoring operations.
The minister called for dialogue, collaboration, and peaceful conflict resolution across the power sector, urging Nigerians to reject violence and embrace democratic solutions to disputes.
