The Nigerian Government has spent approximately N8.8 billion on the repair and restoration of transmission towers that were damaged by vandals and bandits across various regions of Nigeria in 2024.
This was revealed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Suleiman Abdulaziz, at the Quarterly Power Sector Working Group meeting held in Abuja.
According to Abdulaziz, who was represented by Olugbenga Ajiboye, the Executive Director of the Transmission Service Provider (TCN), a total of 128 transmission towers have been destroyed between January and November 2024. The destruction of these critical infrastructure elements has significantly impacted the country’s power distribution network.
“128 of our towers have been destroyed by either vandals or bandits. To date, we have spent about N8.8 billion to restore them to full functionality,” Abdulaziz stated.
While the government has made substantial financial commitments to restore the damaged towers, the situation has been complicated by legal and security challenges. Abdulaziz expressed frustration over the lack of prosecutions for those arrested for vandalism, noting that they are often released on bail after being charged with theft rather than the more serious crime of vandalism.
“It is so sad that each time the vandals are apprehended and handed over to the police, they are charged with theft instead of vandalism, and subsequently bailed. If they were charged for vandalism, they cannot be bailed, but this is the situation we face,” Abdulaziz lamented.
He also highlighted the difficulties TCN contractors face when trying to restore damaged infrastructure, citing the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna transmission towers. Due to the persistent threat of banditry in these regions, contractors have been forced to work under military escort, often only being allowed to work for a limited time each day or even being advised against working in certain areas for safety reasons.
“How can we deliver electricity to Nigerians under these conditions? These are part of the significant challenges we face in the power sector,” he added.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who was represented at the meeting by his Chief Technical Adviser, Adedayo Olowoniyi, also spoke on efforts to expand electricity access in the country. Adelabu announced that the government, in collaboration with the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), is working on a major project, Mission 300, aimed at providing electricity to 50 million Nigerians by 2030.
“The Mission 300 project, driven by the World Bank and AfDB, is set to benefit 50 million Nigerians as part of a larger initiative to provide electricity to 300 million Africans. Nigeria, with its large population without electricity, will greatly benefit from this project,” Olowoniyi said.
The government plans to sign the Compact document for this project in January 2025 during a ceremony in Tanzania, where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will formalize the agreement.
