By Ragan M. Conteh
The Member of Parliament from Bo District who doubles as the Chairman of the Oversight Committee on Energy, Hon. Keikura K. Vandy, has informed authorities of the Ministry of Energy that most of the Night Clubs in Koidu City are illegally connected to electricity, thereby depriving the Government of Sierra Leone much needed revenue generation.
The MP furthered that Koidu City has a customer base of 3,836 who are connected to electricity and 68 of those customers have faulty meters.
The Chairman of the Oversight Committee, Hon. Keikura K. Vandy, on Tuesday 25th August 2020 made this submission when giving his PowerPoint presentation on their Committee’s Oversight Report to the Speaker of Parliament and Ministry of Energy officials at the new administrative building in Parliament.
According to Hon. Keikura Vandy, most of the night clubs are engaged on electricity theft in Koidu City, which has negatively deprived EDSA from revenue generation as well as sustaining electricity supply in that part of the country.
He said there are several reports of illegal connections in not only night clubs but also other business places across Koidu City that lead to the Government losing billions of Leones monthly as a result of illegal connection and electricity thievery.
The Chairman of the Energy Committee in Parliament, Hon. Kiekura K. Vandy, said that his community was very much disappointed to see such night clubs engaging on electricity theft. He however urged the Ministry officials to step up robust measures to ensure that those businesses, that are in the habit of electricity theft, are reprimanded and face the wrath of the law in not only Koidu City but nationwide.
The Minister of Energy, Hon. Alhaji Kanjah Sesay, pointed out that the Oversight Committee Report in Parliament will serve as a guide to the Ministry of Energy, adding that the challenges of the Ministry are so huge that the Ministry cannot solve them overnight. He said his Ministry will study the report submitted by the Committee and will respond to the Committee later.
The Minister expressed appreciation to the Oversight Committee on Energy in Parliament for such a report that aims to restore sanity on electricity, adding that the report will be looked into very seriously.
The Director General of EGTC, EDSA and Chairman of Energy all made similar sentiment, adding that they have signed an MOU with the ACC to help the Ministry of Energy to curb the illegal connections and electricity theft in the country.