BARELY SEVEN MONTHS after the Federal Government directed the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to oversee the protection of transmission lines and towers across the nation, vandals have plunged the Presidential Villa, the official home of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
That is not all, the office of the Minister of Power and thousands of Abuja residents were thrown into stark darkness.
The federal government earlier expressed worries over the consistent vandalism of the transmission lines, towers and transformers in 2023.
It was described as critical national assets as economic sabotage which must be nipped in the bud and ordered the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to guard it jealously.
Speaking at the passing-out parade of the second batch of mining marshals of NSCDC in Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunjo-Ojo decried how wasteful it is to spend billions on power infrastructure which is later for it to be vandalised.”
“It is your job to make sure that no critical asset of government is destroyed and we are ready and I believe NSCDC is up to the task.
“The next time I come here, I want to see my Power Rangers, I mean people who will protect our distribution lines, people who will protect our Gencos and people who will protect every power sector. It’s not reasonable, it’s not acceptable for a country like Nigeria to spend billions of dollars on power infrastructure all for it to be vandalised. No country grows or develops without the power sector, so NSCDC it is time for you to play your part,” he noted.
But the recent vandalism of the transmission line which has thrown the presidential villa and the office of the Minister of Power into total blackout showed the theft of electricity cables is on the rise and has become a national problem which disrupts power supply.
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This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Friday.
Similarly in another statement, the Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, noted that a 132kV transmission line and underground cables supplying power to central parts of the Federal Capital Territory and its environs were vandalised.
“It can be depressing when we have just completed a transformer installation and few weeks after, they are brought down by vandals,” the minister noted.
“This shows that we don’t love ourselves, this does not happen in many other parts of the world.
“A lot of places are in darkness today because of these acts of vandalism.
“For four months, Bayelsa state was in darkness because of local vandalism.
“This act has thrown the Central Area in Abuja, Maitama which includes my own office in Garki Area into darkness.
“Why do we hate our country so much for us to engage in this kind of negative activity which does nothing but draw the country backwards?
“As we are struggling to stabilise energy power transmission in the country, some people are hiding somewhere to frustrate this effort and draw the country backwards.”
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu issued an order for the Nigerian Army and Air Force to be deployed to safeguard engineers working for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) who were repairing damaged transmission lines.
This was disclosed in a statement from the State House on Monday, 28th of October, 2024.
The directive was issued when two 330kV Ugwaji-Apir Double Circuit transmission lines were disrupted, causing power outages in states in North-West, North-East, and parts of North-Central Nigeria.
