CJN bemoans high rate of electricity-related deaths, accidents in Nigeria

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has bemoaned incessant deaths and injuries successful Nigeria’s energy assemblage and vowed that the judiciary volition henceforth intervene to curb the disfigured trend.

Justice Kekere-Ekun recalled that successful 2024 alone, 112 electricity-related deaths involving Nigerians were recorded on with 95 others who suffered assorted degrees of injuries successful the aforesaid year.

The CJN spoke connected Monday successful Abuja astatine the 2025 National Seminar connected Regulations successful the Electricity Power Sector organised for judicial officers successful the state by the National Judicial Institute (NJI).

Apparently unhappy with the trend, Justice Kekere-Ekun said that the judiciary indispensable instrumentality a proactive stance successful enforcing information regulations successful the energy sector.

According to her, operators who neglect to
comply with information reforms successful the assemblage indispensable henceforth beryllium held accountable portion victims and their families indispensable beryllium accorded the justness they deserve.

“The information of our citizens indispensable ne'er beryllium treated arsenic incidental — it is simply a ineligible and motivation imperative. I americium assured that this Seminar has been designed with these urgent needs successful mind.

“This seminar is of immense significance, gathering upon the fruitful discussions initiated during a akin engagement past year, wherever I had the privilege of delivering the invited code astatine the Seminar for Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal held successful Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom
State.

“The reforms introduced by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fifth Alteration Act) 2023 and the Electricity Act, 2023 were thoroughly examined, with a presumption to appreciating the relation of the judiciary successful navigating the evolving ineligible model of our energy proviso industry.

“Today, arsenic we stitchery erstwhile again, we deepen that sermon nether the timely and compelling theme: ‘Navigating the Dynamics of Nigeria’s Evolving Electricity Sector’.

“The Nigerian energy assemblage stands astatine a important inflection point. It is undergoing a important translation driven by decentralised renewable vigor innovations, accrued investments successful off-grid and star mini-grid solutions, and the emergence of a dual energy marketplace framework.

“These developments are reshaping not lone however powerfulness is generated and distributed but besides however regulatory and contractual relationships are conceived, monitored and enforced.

“Against this backdrop, the judiciary indispensable beryllium prepared to conscionable caller demands. As I stated successful my remarks astatine the 2024 Seminar, our relation extends good beyond quality resolution.

“We are called upon to construe legislation,
uphold statutory and law mandates, and guarantee that justness is administered equitably successful a rapidly changing sector.

“This relation remains undiminished — indeed, it grows much urgent arsenic judicial interpretations progressively service arsenic precedents that power capitalist confidence, beforehand regulatory consistency, and support user rights.

“One cannot overemphasize the value of the judiciary successful ensuring that regulatory bodies specified arsenic National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) run wrong the bounds of the law.

“NERC’s statutory work includes the issuance of subsidiary legislation, the mounting of rates, and adjudication of manufacture related disputes. While these powers are indispensable for businesslike regulation, they indispensable beryllium exercised successful a mode that is procedurally fair,
transparent, and taxable to judicial oversight.

“Accordingly, the Courts indispensable stay vigilant successful their reappraisal of delegated authorities to defender against arbitrariness, support the doctrine of morganatic expectation, and uphold nationalist information arsenic a tenet of regulatory governance.

“In doing so, we springiness beingness to the regularisation of instrumentality and beforehand a ineligible situation conducive to sustainable development,” the CJN said.

She thanked the NJI and NERC for putting the seminar successful spot and charged judges successful attendance to prosecute rigorously with the sessions and to stock their judicial experiences, peculiarly successful narration to challenges encountered successful interpreting and applying the instrumentality to electricity-related issues.

In his goodwill message, the Attorney General of the Federation AGF and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said the energy assemblage remains a cornerstone of the nation’s socio-economic development, touching each facet of beingness – providing vigor needed for industrialization, innovation and improved surviving standards.

Fagbemi noted that the energy assemblage successful Nigeria is undergoing important evolution, marked by dynamic reforms, regulatory complexities, and a propulsion for greater ratio adding that the assemblage is facing analyzable ineligible and regulatory challenges that request heavy knowing and collaboration.

“These changes request not lone legislative attraction but besides proactive judicial engagement to guarantee fairness and accountability successful navigating this transformation,” helium said.

The AGF promised that the Federal Ministry of Justice would beryllium consenting to spouse with NERC to heighten the show of its regulatory roles and expanding the frontiers of ineligible model for the energy industry.