The Federal Government has disclosed that it spent over N8.8 billion to repair and restore 128 transmission towers that were vandalized across the country.
Engr. Suleiman Ahmed Abdulaziz, the Managing Director and CEO of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), made this revelation at the Quarterly Power Sector Working Group meeting in Abuja.
Abdulaziz explained that the towers were destroyed by vandals or bandits between January 13, 2024, and the present.
He expressed concern over the recurring nature of the vandalism, stating that when perpetrators are apprehended and handed over to the police for prosecution, they are often granted bail and quickly return to continue their destructive activities.
“It is so sad that each time the vandals were caught and taken to police for prosecution, police would incident them for theft, instead of vandalism and they will be bailed. If they are charged for vandalism, they cannot be bailed.
“When the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna towers were destroyed, we had to get the full military escorts for our contractors to get the transmission lines and towers restored and, in some cases, they would tell us that we could only work for two hours in some days.
“In some instances, they would even tell us that it was not safe to move there.
“How do we get out of this? How can we deliver electricity to Nigerians under these terrible circumstances? These are part of the challenges we are facing in the power sector”, Abdulaziz said.
On his part, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, said that the federal government is working in collaboration with the World Bank and the African Development Bank (ADB) to make electricity available to 50 million Nigerians by the year 2030.
