By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The Arewa Youth Assembly has called for calm among Nigerians, particularly in the Northern region, due to ongoing power outages caused by the vandalism of two towers along the 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines.

Vanguard reports that the vandalism has resulted in significant blackouts affecting several states in the area.

In a statement issued by Mohammed Salihu Danlami, Speaker of the Arewa Youth Assembly, the group commended the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), led by Managing Director, Engr. Dr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, for actively working to restore power to the affected regions.

The assembly highlighted his dedication and hard work in addressing the crisis, emphasizing that he is committed to ensuring a steady power supply across the country.

However, the assembly expressed concern over a group of individuals who are exploiting the situation to undermine Mr. Abdulaziz’s leadership and integrity.

According to the Arewa youths, these actions have the potential to incite further chaos and division among the people of Northern Nigeria, especially since Mr. Abdulazeez is also from the region.

The assembly pointed out that security challenges have hindered the repair efforts for the damaged towers, despite having trained experts and necessary resources available.

They argue that the areas affected by the vandalism remain inaccessible due to insecurity, complicating the restoration process.

In light of these challenges, the Arewa Youth Assembly urged Northerners to exercise patience and rationality, resisting the temptation to be influenced by individuals aiming to politicize the issue for their selfish interests. .

The statement reads, “The Arewa Youth Assembly has called for calm and understanding from Nigerians, particularly the Northern part of the country amidst the ongoing blackout experienced in certain states of the region.

“The TCN under the leadership of
Engr. Dr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz has been working tirelessly round the clock, having sleepless nights to restore power to the affected areas as soon as possible. The MD is a very hardworking, selfless, reliable and patriotic Nigerian who is committed to ensuring a steady supply of power to all parts of the country at all times and is therefore more disturbed by the recent happenings affecting certain parts of the North.

“Unfortunately, a group of unconcerned Nigerians have organised themselves and are capitalising on this tragic event to unleash a vicious and obviously orchestrated campaign that will cast aspersions on the leadership of Mr. Abdulaziz and even his integrity, causing further chaos and inciting the Northern Part of the Country against Mr. Abdulaziz who is also a Northerner.

“We call on Nigerians to understand that the problem has persisted because of security challenges that stood as a barrier to repairing the damaged towers. Despite these challenges, we urge Nigerians, particularly of the Northern extraction, to be more patient, rational and fight the temptation of being used by some few miscreants who are hell-bent on politicising the situation to cause further chaos in the country to achieve their selfish desires.

“The TCN under the leadership of Mr. Abdulaziz in collaboration with security agencies and all relevant stakeholders have never rested since the vandalisation of these towers and will not rest until power is fully restored to affected areas.”