•The Eko Distribution Company is rightfully found guilty of negligence
The formal condemnation of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) for the negligence and lack of professionalism which led to the fatal electrocution of Miss Juliana Oluchi Anekwe, a University of Lagos student, must be praised as marking a new determination to hold institutions responsible for their shortcomings.
The Federal Government Investigation Panel which probed the incident, as well as the one involving a 15-year- old student in Idi-Araba, found that the EKEDC had a poorly-maintained distribution network, and that its operations were riddled with below-average standards.
The distribution company’s own claim that it was engaged in the re-routing of overhead cables at the university buttresses this claim: if it had undertaken that job more expeditiously and with greater attention to public safety, Miss Anekwe might not have died.
The Panel’s findings are a relief to the University of Lagos, since they apparently absolve the school of contributory negligence. Its authorities have gone on to demand that EKEDC pay compensation to the family of the late Miss Anekwe under the terms of the company’s own insurance policy.
In a country where dozens have been killed by the lethal mix of impunity, incompentence and negligence of public and private institutions, this acknowledgement that they must be held responsible for their failures cannot be over-emphasized.
Prior to this time, the EKEDC’s notorious predecessor, the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), was implicated in many electrocutions, market conflagrations and house fires, but benefitted from a percieved immunity to prosecution.
As the EKEDC has now found out to its cost, such impunity will no longer be permitted. It should ensure it meets its obligations to the grieving Anekwe family, even though it is obvious that no amount of financial restitution can compensate them for the loss of their daughter.
In spite of the welcome change in official attitudes to institutional negligence of this sort, there is still a great deal to be done before Nigeria can truly become a nation where lives are no longer lost so tragically. It is vitally important that there be a comprehensive review of the legislation regulating issues like this in order to ensure that the guilty do not go unpunished.
It is shameful that no one been held individually responsible for the lapses that led to Miss Anekwe’s death, even though it is obvious that somebody in the EKEDC took the decisions that had such fatal consequences.
If institutions only have to endure financial sanctions and are able to avoid criminal responsibility for their carelessness and incompetence, no lessons will be ever be fully learnt. The prospect of jail time is the best deterrent for institutional malfeasance.
Legal reform is vital, given the fact that the problem will not simply disappear. The EKEDC is not the only electricity distribution company in the country; their counterparts are probably guilty of worse lapses, since most of them are operating in circumstances far less likely to be publicized than that of the EKEDC.
Outside the power sector, construction companies are building half-finished death-traps which have claimed hundreds of lives. Advertising agencies and telecommunications firms are putting up structures that constitute obstructions to road users. Then, there is the well-known inhumanity of the hospitals which refuse to treat critically-ill citizens without prior payment or police reports.
The institution of a rigorously-enforced safety culture is also long overdue. Buildings should have clearly-marked entries and exits. Areas under construction or maintenance should be marked off and closed to the public. Housing estates should stop the practice of sealing secondary gates. Fire drills and other emergency procedures should be regularly practised in schools, places of work and worship.
Accidents will happen, but their negative effects can be minimized by effective legislation and a safety-conscious citizenry.
