•NERC orders Abuja Disco to compensate victims

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA- A 750kV transformer explosion has killed three persons and injured five in a suburb called Tudun-Wada, in Abuja, along the popular Airport Road of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The explosion, which occurred according to members of the community during the last week, was traced to electrical fault resulting from poor power infrastructure in the community and inadequate maintenance of electricity cables by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC.

During a visit to the scene of the explosion yesterday (Saturday) and to commiserate with survivors and families that lost their relations to the incident, Acting Chairman, NERC, Dr. Anthony Aka, decried the poor power infrastructure and dangerous connections made under the nose of AEDC.

He said: “What necessitated the visit of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, is as a result of the accident that happened in this community(Tudun-Wada). It was said that a transformer got blown and there was electrocution and some injuries.

“As a sector regulator who is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that we have safe, reliable, affordable electricity we felt that we should come here and assess what happened and also commiserate with the victims and to make sure that the survivors have the best medical treatment immediately.

Meanwhile, the NERC boss has ordered the management of AEDC to adequately compensate victims of the explosion.

The management of AEDC has since accepted to foot the bills of those who got injured and continue their treatment at the National Hospital and other hospitals of the victims’ choice.