TCN seeks communities’ support to curb tower vandalism

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has appealed to communities hosting transmission infrastructure to support the fight against the sabotage of power towers. TCN’s General Manager for Port Harcourt Region, Mr. Akpa Anyaegbunam, made the appeal during a sensitisation programme for youths from Ahoada East and Ahoada West areas in Igbu Ehuda, of Rivers State. […]

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has appealed to communities hosting transmission infrastructure to support the fight against the sabotage of power towers.

TCN’s General Manager for Port Harcourt Region, Mr. Akpa Anyaegbunam, made the appeal during a sensitisation programme for youths from Ahoada East and Ahoada West areas in Igbu Ehuda, of Rivers State.

In a statement, he emphasised that the vandalisation of power infrastructure presented a significant setback not only to the affected communities but also to Nigeria’s overall socio-economic development.

According to him, beyond the substantial financial costs incurred in repairing damaged infrastructure, such acts resulted in prolonged power outages, thereby disrupting economic and domestic activities for consumers.

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“This is why we engaged the youths of Ahoada East and Ahoada West in Rivers State to encourage them to join the fight against vandalism of power installations in their communities,” he explained.

Anyaegbunam stressed the need for young people to actively participate in safeguarding transmission infrastructures, citing a recent incident of sabotage that led to a blackout in Bayelsa.

He said the ongoing sensitisation campaign, which covers several communities in TCN’s Port Harcourt region, was aimed at raising awareness and fostering local participation in the protection of national assets.

He revealed that in July 2024, 20 transmission towers were vandalised along the Ahoada-Yenagoa power line, plunging the entire Bayelsa into an avoidable four-month blackout.

“The question we continue to ask is, who are the individuals vandalising these transmission towers?

“We are not suggesting that the youths themselves are directly involved, but no stranger can enter a community and damage infrastructure without the support or complicity of someone from that community.”

In response, Mr. Isaiah Sunday, a youth leader from one of the communities, affirmed the readiness of local youths to partner with the government to prevent further attacks on power installations.

He advocated for the formation of surveillance teams within host communities to safeguard transmission facilities.