The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Port Harcourt Regional Office, has raised the alarm over an increase in vandalism and blatant theft of its infrastructure throughout communities in the six states where it operates.
According to the firm, thieves have tampered with its equipment in Rivers, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Bayelsa states, creating a severe threat to electricity transmission in the area.
To solve the sad situation, the business requested that the Federal Government send soldiers and operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to secure its facilities and power lines.
Dr. Inugonum Thomas, General Manager of TCN, Port Harcourt Region, addressed reporters on some of the enormous advancements made by the organisation, but he also stated that Nigeria could do even better when it came to providing power to its citizens.
According to Thomas, the transmission sector plays a crucial role in the power chain, necessitating the constant safety of the transmission lines.
“Many times we suffer from people attacking the transmission lines, destroying it, removing parts of the towers, making us unable to have the transportation done easily.
“I remember sometime when I joined my colleagues in the bushes to see these transmission lines that had failed and what had caused it, we saw some hoodlums even attacking the gas pipeline as well as our own transmission lines. If we were not lucky that day, they would have shot us. So, the vandalization is virtually every time,” he said.
cc: Vanguard Ng
