The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has lamented that a significant portion of the company’s budget earmarked for expansion is now being diverted to repair vandalised transformers and power towers.
The firm revealed that between 2021 to date, it has spent over N88 billion on repairing and replacement of some of its vandalised power towers, cables, and transformers.
TCN’s General Manager, Lagos Region, Mojeed Akintola, made this know, last Thursday while addressing residents of the Ogijo and Odogunyan communities in Ikorodu area of Lagos state at a sensitisation programme aimed at educating the residents on the importance of keeping watch over TCN equipments in their communities to prevent vandalism of power infrastructure.
“Most of the funds meant for new installations are now used to fix damaged infrastructure. We appeal to traditional leaders to caution their subjects against destroying TCN installations. Vandalism not only affects our operations but also plunges entire communities into darkness,” Akintola said.
He regretted that apart from the financial loss, the downtime usually associated with repairing vandalised infrastructure is enormous, affecting business and residential communities in the process.
“Once a tower is vandalised, the downtime is always on the high side because you have to bring down the remaining one, then you start afresh. So, if you estimate that it’s running to either two, three, or four months.
“When the one at Abeokuta was vandalised, apart from the alternative source that we did, which took us four days, the repair of the 10 towers vandalised took three months. On that particular line, TCN spent N1m per day. If you now estimate that to three months, you know how much that will be,” Akintola said.
Corroborating Akinola’s submissions, the Principal Manager (Lines), TCN Lagos Region, Seyi Onabajo, revealed that the company has spent over ₦88 billion between 2021 and 2025 to repair vandalised power towers, cables, and transformers.
“This money was originally intended to expand our network and improve power supply. Unfortunately, due to persistent vandalism, it’s now being used for repairs,” he said, while also warning against illegal constructions under TCN’s Right of Way (RoW), noting that such activities hinder operations and pose significant risks.
According to Onabajo, the activities of vandals have hampered the efforts of the TCN in ensuring that every community across the country has an electricity supply.
“We know what the company is losing. All the money that we’ve contributed to the government that was supposed to be used for rebuilding this place, instead, we are using it for maintenance. Record has it that, between 2021 and the present date, the government has spent over ₦88b just on repairs against this vandalism, which is alarming.
“We all are clamouring for a 24/7 supply of light, that’s why we are also concerned about making sure that all communities are being lit up. If we are spending so much on repairs, how do we achieve the aim of TCN for the community?
“That’s why we are calling on every one of us to please, let us join hands and rebuild this mission to become a better place. Vandalism, as you all know, is a deliberate act — when you disrupt and tamper with our transmission structures just for self-gain,” he said.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ogijo Police Station, CSP Fatoberu Oyekan, called on TCN to strengthen partnerships with the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) to combat vandalism. He also urged communities to support legal proceedings by providing evidence and appearing in court when vandals are prosecuted.
“Many cases are dismissed due to lack of witnesses. If the community fails to show up in court, the magistrate has no choice but to release the suspects. Let us follow cases of vandalism to a logical conclusion,” he advised.
He urged the communities to prioritise the security of TCN infrastructure, as it is their property, while equally admonishing the TCN to consider engaging local vigilantes to protect the infrastructure, an effort he said would complement that of the police in tackling the issue of vandalism.
The District Officer, Ikorodu Central, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), CSC Adekunle Dokunmu, urged steel manufacturers in the area to reject stolen cables and metals brought in by vandals. He called on them to work with TCN to identify and report anyone attempting to sell such stolen items.
“If we all work together, we can stop this threat and protect national infrastructure,” he said.
He disclosed that the Lagos State Government has established an agency to monitor and profile dumpsite operators and scrap buyers.
This, he said, would help in the fight against vandalism as individual operators in the scrap business could now be monitored effectively. According to Dokunmu, the NSCDC remained committed to ensuring that vandals are arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
The Baale Ladigboye of Ikorodu, Chief Joseph Giwa, praised TCN for the initiative and suggested that the sensitisation programme be held monthly. He pledged to take the message back to the grassroots and urged the company to increase patrols around its installation sites.
“We’ll speak to our people, but TCN must also intensify surveillance,” he added.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
