–Begins restoration of underground cables

By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, on Tuesday called on communities hosting transmission infrastructure to support government efforts in protecting power towers in their areas.

TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, made the appeal during a sensitization visit to Leleyi Gbari in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. She emphasized that vandalism of power infrastructure poses a significant setback to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

Mbah pointed out that, beyond the substantial financial costs of repairing vandalized assets, the economy also suffers due to power supply disruptions affecting consumers.

According to her, “Each incident of vandalism delays our progress, affecting businesses, schools, hospitals, and homes. The consequences of vandalism are far-reaching, impacting not only the affected communities but also the entire nation”.

She charged host communities to protect the facilities, adding that “as host communities, you have a vital role to play in safeguarding these critical installations. It’s essential to recognize that these power installations belong to all of us, and their protection is our collective responsibility.

“By working together with TCN, you can help ensure the security and integrity of the transmission towers. I urge you to take ownership of these power installations and report any suspicious activities or incidents to the authorities”.

Also speaking at the event, Assistant General Manager Transmission, Gwagwalada Sub-region, Engr. Ishmaila Doguwa said the company has recorded a lot of cases of vandalism on the transmission lines in the area.

“Since 2020 when I came here, we have been battling issues of vandalism at times twice a month but with the efforts of security agents we have been able to bring it down to a certain level.

“Recently, the lines bringing supply from Lokoja to Gwagwalada were vandalised around December and we were able to reconduct the lines but less than six hours later, the lines were attacked again and some of the cables were taken away. As I am speaking with you, we are still trying to fix the lines”, he stated.

In their response, the community urged the Federal Government to extend power supply to the village as part of rewards for protecting transmission infrastructure.

The Village Head, Leleyi Gbari, Yunus Sarki noted that it was an injustice for the community to continue to protect power towers while continuing to live in darkness.

He said the community which hosts several Power towers belonging to TCN has never had electricity supply since it was established.

“We live in darkness, no electricity supply. When the towers were being built several years ago, we were told that the power was too high for the community and that it would burn the village down.

“We have endured since then but I want to call on the government to extend electricity supply to the village. This will serve as motivation for the community to protect the power towers”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has disclosed that restoration work is actively ongoing on the vandalized underground transmission line near Millennium Park, Abuja.

The vandalism of the underground cables in Abuja City centre last month left key Federal Government institutions including Federal Secretariat, courts and major parts of the three arm zone without public power supply.

TCN said: “Efforts are focused on replacing the damaged cable and reconnecting it to the transmission network to restore bulk power supply through the line.

“Our engineers, in collaboration with expert cable jointers, are working tirelessly to complete the repairs as quickly as possible and ensure the restoration of normal bulk power supply.

“We recognize the critical importance of maintaining a stable and reliable power supply, particularly in the metropolis. TCN remains committed to restoring normal bulk power transmission through the line to its substation to enable Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) offtake same for its customers.”