Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has revealed that the federal government has spent over N88 billion repairing and restoring power infrastructure vandalised across the country between 2021 and the present day.
Seyi Onabajo, TCN’s Principal Manager (Lines) for the Lagos Region, disclosed this during a one-day sensitisation programme held at the Odogunyan 132 kilovolt (kV) transmission substation in Ikorodu, Lagos.
“We know what the company is losing,” Onabajo said. “All the money that we have 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 N88 billion 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?”
Onabajo urged community members to actively participate in safeguarding power infrastructure, calling on them to “join hands in rebuilding the mission to become a better place.” He described vandalism as a deliberate act carried out “just for self-gain”.
Speaking on the wider impact of such attacks, Mojeed Akintola, TCN’s General Manager in Lagos, stressed that vandalism causes significant delays and financial losses.
“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,” Akintola said.
“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 N1 million per day. If you now estimate that to three months, you know how much that will be.” Akintola appealed to members of the public, including security agencies and steel companies, to support TCN in curbing the vandalisation of critical power infrastructure.
