By Ruth Yeabu Sesay
The Director General of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) Abu Bakarr Kamara has informed journalists at a news conference in Freetown that EDSA is beset with huge losses as a result of illegal abstraction of electricity and vandalism on their power outlets in various parts of the country.
Kamara said: “lately there have been a lot of practices that are impacting the ability of EDSA negatively, people have gone into the habit of illegally abstracting energy by bypassing meters and the consequences have become dire on the Authority’s ability to perform”.
He went on to say that from a revenue collection perspective, the Authority is losing revenue on a daily basis, resulting in huge deficits in meeting the authority’s obligations, including the provision of the required energy everybody has been enjoying countrywide.
Kamara stated that Kono, Makeni, Bo, and Kenema all enjoy round-the-clock electricity but this service comes with a price and therefore appealed that Sierra Leoneans help takes on the responsibility of honouring their bills.
He said “it is very unfair to have a very small section of the population paying and the rest of the population illegally abstracting electricity. It is not by magic rather it is due to the contributions that we make by paying our bills judiciously that enables EDSA to perform well by paying our providers’’.
He said the government is saddled with a lot of responsibilities such as education, health, and other developmental projects that the country should benefit from, and urged people to pay their dues for services provided.
He pleaded with Sierra Leoneans to look out for each other and that if someone is illegally abstracting power they should call the Police or report it to EDSA. He said those whistleblowers stand to be compensated whilst the culprits can be tried and punished.
He narrated how nine EDSA workers have been sacked for making illegal connections to homes.
He reiterated that EDSA is challenged with the responsibility of providing energy to every Sierra Leonean and in that context they need the help of all to embrace their civic responsibility to make sure that EDSA stands strong as they continue to strive to provide electricity for everyone.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (09/03/23)
