VANDALS AND THE POWER SECTOR

 

Securing electricity equipment will do much to shore up power supply

Critical stakeholders in the power sector have lately been worried about the activities of vandals. Indeed, it was recently explained that the massive load shedding being experienced nationwide was caused by the vandalism of two major gas pipelines supplying gas to eight power generating stations. In a statement signed by the General Manager (Public Affairs), TCN, Mr. Dave Ifabiyi, the company said that one of the vandalised gas pipelines was taking supply from the Okoloma gas plant, while the other from Escravos. The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, was to further highlight this growing menace when he spoke of the havoc vandals are doing to prevent a realisation of the power reforms agenda of the administration. So endemic is the incidence of vandalism of electricity equipment that except drastic action is taken to contain the menace, the much-touted reform of the power sector may be no more than a mirage.

In a recent editorial, we had cause to warn of the wanton activities of these criminal elements, following disclosures that the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company lost many distribution transformer substations under its network to these vandals. The company had said in a statement that the increasing rate at which its equipment were being vandalised had reached unacceptable proportions. It further noted that the criminal act which had initially reduced after the conviction of two vandals to various terms of imprisonment had assumed a dangerous dimension in the last six months.

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