The Transmission Company of Nigeria has appealed to host communities to take ownership of power infrastructure and help curb the rising incidents of vandalism on its transmission towers.
The Regional Manager of TCN, Port Harcourt Region, Mr Akpa Anyaegbunam, made the appeal during a sensitisation programme held for youths from Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas in Igbu Ehuda, Rivers State.
A statement from the agency revealed this on Sunday.
This appeal comes hours after the transmission company said it has contracted the services of three contractors to reconstruct three collapsed towers along the 330kV Kainji–Birnin Kebbi transmission line.
Anyaegbunam warned that the continued sabotage of national power infrastructure was undermining not only local development but also Nigeria’s broader socio-economic progress.
He said recent incidents, including the vandalism of 20 transmission towers along the Ahoada–Yenagoa line in July 2024, led to a total blackout in Bayelsa State for over four months, severely disrupting businesses and livelihoods.
Each act of vandalism sets us back significantly. It’s not just about the cost of replacing equipment, which runs into billions of naira—it’s about the lives and businesses that suffer in darkness,” he said.
According to him, the ongoing campaign across TCN’s Port Harcourt Region aims to raise awareness and promote community-led efforts in securing transmission infrastructure.
This is why we engaged youths in Ahoada East and West to encourage their participation in the fight against vandalism,” he said.
He noted that while TCN was not accusing local youths of being directly involved, no outsider could destroy such infrastructure without some form of internal collaboration.
We are not saying the youths are responsible. But we all know that no stranger can vandalise towers without the support or silence of someone from within the community,” he added.
Anyaegbunam also cautioned that economic hardship should not be used to justify the destruction of national assets meant to improve living standards.
We must begin to see power infrastructure as shared property. Without electricity, there can be no meaningful development,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the participating communities, a youth leader, Isaiah Sunday, expressed support for the TCN’s efforts and called for the establishment of community surveillance teams.
We believe in protecting what the government has given us.
By forming local monitoring groups, we can ensure that both leaders and youths are involved in safeguarding these vital installations,” he said.
The sensitisation programme, which drew hundreds of youths from 19 communities, is one of several outreach efforts launched by TCN to combat rising cases of vandalism and ensure uninterrupted power supply.
