By Michael Ovat -Awka
FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited has taken its electricity safety awareness campaign to UNIZIK High School, Awka, as part of activities marking the grand finale of its 2026 Customer Service Week.
The exercise, held on Friday, October 9, brought the company’s safety message directly to students, educating them on the dangers of unsafe electricity practices and the precautions necessary to prevent avoidable accidents at home, in school and within their environments.
The FirstPower delegation comprised the Head of Customer Service, Mrs. Obianuju Okafor; the Head of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), Engr. Tosin Caleb Fadairo; and the HSE Officer for Ogidi/Aguleri Districts, Engr. Raphael Otakpor U.
Addressing the students during their morning assembly on the school’s assembly ground, Engr. Fadairo explained the importance of electricity in everyday life and highlighted the dangers that could arise from its careless use and improper handling.
He gave the students an overview of the history of electricity as something that killed its inventor, showing how dangerous it can be when not handled with care and precaution.
Engr. Tosin further discussed numerous applications of electricity in homes, schools, businesses and industries. He also drew the students’ attention to common unsafe practices that could expose children and other household members to electric shock, burns and other potentially fatal accidents.
The HSE Head offered practical safety advice, cautioning the students against playing with electrical installations, touching exposed wires, handling electrical appliances carelessly or attempting to interfere with electrical faults themselves. He urged them to promptly alert their parents, teachers or other responsible adults whenever they noticed exposed wires, damaged installations or any other electrical hazard.
The session featured an interactive question-and-answer segment, during which the students shared ideas with the FirstPower team, while writing materials were also distributed to the students as part of the engagement.
Also addressing the students, the Head of Customer Service, Mrs. Okafor, encouraged the students to take the safety lessons seriously and apply them in their daily lives. She urged them to share the knowledge with their parents, guardians and other members of their households, noting that awareness of electrical hazards could help prevent accidents and save lives.
The delegation subsequently interacted with members of the school staff and also presented special packages and gift items to the school management, led by the Principal, Mrs. Israel Olanike Atinuke.
Mrs. Atinuke appreciated FirstPower for bringing the awareness campaign to the school, acknowledging the value of the exercise to the students and the wider school community. She expressed hope that future engagements would allow for longer sessions to deepen the students’ understanding of electricity safety.
The outreach formed part of activities for Day-5 and the grand finale of FirstPower’s 2026 Customer Service Week, celebrated under the theme, “The Extra Mile.”
The company flagged-off its Customer Service Week on Monday at its Headquarters in Awka, where it was declared open by the MD/CEO, Engr. Okechukwu Okafor.
The ceremony, which was also observed across the company’s districts in different parts of the state, was loaded with a plethora of activities for different days, including surprise visits and presentation of gifts to MD customers, safety drills, cultural day, safety awareness campaign with students, distribution of writing materials to students, and special cinematic outing by the company staff — all done with renewed commitments to go “The Extra Mile” in line with this year’s global theme of the annual celebration.
