FG spends N8.8b to repair destroyed transmission towers -TCN | The Guardian Nigeria News

The Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Sule Abdulaziz, has said the Federal Government has spent about N8.8 billion to repair destroyed transmission towers across the country.

This is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Energy on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Tunji said Abdulaziz said this at the Quarterly Energy Sector Working Group meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

Abdulaziz, who was represented by the Executive Director of the Transmission Service Provider (TSO), Mr. Olugbenga Ajiboye, said between January 13 and date, 128 transmission towers across the country have been destroyed by vandals or bandits.

He said that after the vandals were caught and handed over to the police, they were released on bail and continued their vandalism.

“As we speak to you today, 128 of our towers have been destroyed by either vandals or bandits. To date, we estimate that we have spent about N8.8 billion to restore them to full and functional use.

“It is very sad that every time vandals are caught and taken to the police for prosecution, the police charge them with theft instead of vandalism and are released on bail.

“If they are charged with vandalism they cannot be released on bail but we are here. “So many of them have been arrested, but they will be released on bail every time because the police usually charge the cases as theft,” he said.

Abdulaziz said when the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna towers collapsed, TCN had to provide full military escort to our contractors to repair the transmission lines and towers.

They said that in some cases, TCN could only operate for two hours on some days.

“In some cases, they were even telling us it wasn’t safe to move there. How do we get rid of this? How can we deliver electricity to Nigerians under these dire conditions?

“These are part of the challenges we face in the energy sector,” he said.

In a related development, the Minister of Energy, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, said the Federal Government is collaborating with the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to provide electricity to 50 million Nigerians by 2030.

The minister, represented by his Chief Technical Adviser, Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, said the Federal Government was working with the World Bank and the African Development Bank to ensure that 300 million Africans have access to electricity by 2030.

He said the ministry is also collaborating with the finance ministry to achieve this process.

“The mission is led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank and it is a project that will provide electricity to 300 million Africans and Nigeria will benefit 50 million.

Adelabu said the compact document will be signed by President Bola Tinubu in Tanzania in January 2025.

The minister said his ministry was working intensively with the World Bank, AfDB and the Ministry of Finance to develop the document together with all countries that will participate in the document.

“Most importantly, we need to carry out the process on our own, with the participation of the private and public sectors.

“We will do this through solar energy form system, mini and micro grid, grid expansion and connection,” he said.

“The truth is that this is not actually possible; Based on resources, firstly, we need to expand the grid to all Nigerians in terms of financing and secondly, it may not be commercially viable to start talking about expanding the grid to parts that are not feasible.

“But that doesn’t mean we won’t give them electricity; it’s their right and part of democracy.”

Minister says Federal Government will start with home solar power system in areas where grid may not work