El-Rufai wants to crack down on Nigerians who steal electricity

<h2>Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and a ministerial nominee has proposed stringent measures in the electricity sector. It includes hardline stance against those that bypass metering.</h2>, <span>Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is set to become a minister Daily Trust</span>, <p>He made this known during the screening of ministerial nominees submitted to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu.</p>, <p>According to El-Rufai, the electricity supply situation in Nigeria has defied every government for 60 years.</p>, <p>"Metering is a big issue, a lot of progress has been made by some of the Distribution Companies (Discos). In the last three or four years with the support of the CBN and the World Bank, every household should have been metered, every business should be metered.</p>, <p>"Estimated billings is not acceptable. But in addition, Nigeria must take a hard stance against those that steal electricity. Those that get electricity by diverting cables; not paying, we must take a hardline stance against it if this sector is to work.</p>, <p>"A lot of advocacy is necessary. People believe that water and electricity should be free, the social services, but they are not; they cost money to produce.</p>, <p>"The least you can do is pay back for the cost of production and handing it to the private sector, they need some return on its investment over and above the cost of production."</p>, <p>The nominee also raised the issue of distribution saying that in 2013 Discos were privatised.</p>, <p>"We privatised our distribution companies, 11 of them; 60% to the private sector, 40% to be owned by government.</p>, <p>"The idea is that the 40% is supposed to be listed on the foreign exchange so that every Nigerian will be a shareholder in it.</p>, <p>"But that has not happened, 10 years after privatisation, the government is still subsidising electricity in one way or the other.</p>, <p>"The last time we checked it was about ₦‎1.6 trillion in the privatised environment. This is unsustainable and unac