MINISTER of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has decried the increasing cases of infrastructure vandalism across the country, stating that the federal government spent over N9 billion to restore vandalized power infrastructure in the Northern part of Nigeria in 2024.
The continued cases of vandalism according to Adelabu are undermining the government’s effort towards ensuring adequate power supply to Nigerians.
Adelabu, in clarifying a report about the N8 billion in the 2025 budget appropriation of the ministry, said that the amount is specifically meant for advocacy, education, enlightenment, and provision of technology to protect power infrastructure.
“It is also to enlighten Nigerians on the need to protect and take ownership of the power infrastructure and other national assets. This is contrary to claims in some quarters that the money was meant for sensitization on payment of electricity bills”, he said in a statement issued by Bolaji Tunji, the Special Adviser to the Minister on Strategic Communications and Media Relations on Thursday.
According to the minister, the Nigerian Government through the Transmission Company of Nigeria, spent over N9 billion to restore transmission towers and lines destroyed by the terrorists on the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line which led to a total blackout in some parts of northern Nigeria, last year.
He also disclosed that efforts to complete repairs on the transmission lines were facing setbacks due to the activities of bandits in the areas.
“Let me also use this opportunity to tell Nigerians that it costs the TCN over N9 billion to bring back the transmission towers and lines destroyed by the terrorists on the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line which threw substantial parts of northern Nigeria into darkness last year, up till now, we are yet to complete work on the lines due to activities of bandits who have continued to stagnate efforts to repair some of the lines.
“It is our belief that the advocacy we are proposing should be able to redirect the minds of those who are bent on taking us backward in our effort to provide, efficient, effective, and uninterrupted electricity to Nigerians. Only last weekend, almost half of Abuja was thrown into darkness as a result of the activities of the vandals.
“The history of vandalism of the nation’s power infrastructure is legendary. However, in recent years, it has escalated and in over one year, it has continued to increase at an alarming rate. We have suffered sustained and more violent attacks on our infrastructure.
“If you recall, for over two weeks last year, almost the entire northern part of the country was thrown into darkness, as bandits and terrorists, not just vandals, attacked our transmission lines and towers on the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna transmission lines. Dynamites were used to bring down the towers and the lines. This is just one of many such attacks across the nation.”
Adelabu further reiterated the government’s effort to address the incessant cases of grid collapse through the commencement of the second phase of the Siemens project which is expected in the first quarter of 2025. This phase he said will see the construction of 14 brownfield substations and 20 greenfield substations.
According to him, the pilot stage of the project ensured the installation of 8 power transformers and 5 mobile substations in the following states including; Okene, Kogi; Amukpe, Delta; Ihovbor, Edo; Apo, Abuja; Maryland, Lagos; Potiskum, Yobe; Ajah, Lagos; Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi; Jebba, Niger; Kwanar-dangora, Kano; UI, Oyo; Sapade, Ogun.
“On the issue of incessant grid collapse, efforts are continuing to tackle the problems. It is a known fact that over the years, the infrastructure has been neglected and allowed to decay to a state of dilapidation. These are being gradually tackled. The Siemens project is one of the ways of tackling this. The pilot stage of the Siemens project was to ensure the installation of 10 power transformers and the mobile substations across the country and so far, is about 95 percent completion.
‘’So far, we have installed eight power transformers and 5 mobile substations in the following States; Okene, Kogi; Amukpe, Delta; Ihovbor, Edo; Apo, Abuja; Maryland, Lagos; Potiskum, Yobe; Ajah, Lagos; Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi; Jebba, Niger; Kwanar-dangora, Kano; UI, Oyo; Sapade, Ogun.
”The 2nd phase will see the construction of 14 brown field substations and 20 green field substations. Agreement has been signed for the construction of five substations starting Q1, already. This will further strengthen the grid capacity and reduce instances of grid collapse. Not only that, the SCADA project is still ongoing,” he said.