The General Manager, Port Harcourt Region, Engr. Emmanuel Akpa has revealed that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has successfully repaired and erected 13 out of the 16 towers destroyed by vandals along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV transmission line.
Akpa, who stated this during a meeting with the Secretary to the State Government in Bayelsa State, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei and other members of the State House of Assembly on September 12, 2024,
lamented the spate of vandalism of TCN installations, noting that between July and August alone, 16 towers were destroyed within the PortHarcourt region.
According to him, TCN's project implementation process in the area has been greatly hampered due to the nefarious acts of vandalism. He further said, "we're pained that this act has put the good people of Bayelsa into untold hardship and has equally plunged TCN into huge financial debt.
In his words, "in my 33 years of service, I have never seen this kind of colossal damage. It should be a national concern. Although vandalism is recorded across the country, the rate in this area is alarming. "
While calling for increased collaboration to tackle the issue, he added that community leaders should be given a marching order by the state government to take responsibility to prevent such activities in their communities. He also appealed to the government of Bayelsa to decisively address this issue to forestall future occurrence.
On his part, the Assistant General Manager, Port Harcourt Sub-Region, Engr. Benneth Ezemobi hinted that TCN had engaged a local vigilante group at Ahoada to secure the ongoing job and that they already apprehended two vandals tampering with the newly rebuilt tower members, even as repairs were ongoing.
He reiterated the need to properly secure the areas to enable the smooth completion of the job so that bulk power supply can be restored to Bayelsa State.
Responding, the SSG Prof. Ayawei expressed the state’s commitment to deploying heavy security personnel to the areas prone to vandalism within the state as well as implementing a technology based surveillance to safeguard the towers.
Ayawei noted that “the government has accepted to support the procurement of internet cameras to cover hot spot areas, nothing that power is too critical, and that without it, our job as a government is incomplete.
Bayelsa State, he noted, is currently suffering as every business has been affected by the vandalised towers, including the barber, ice block seller, and other little businesses. "
In a related development, TCN and the Bayelsa government have agreed to work together to create a new work centre at Yenagoa to further enhance bulk power transmission and reduce downtime whenever a fault occurs.
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