TCN Rues Huge Financial Expenditure on Repair of Vandalised Assets

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has decried the incessant vandalism of its assets across the country, stating that huge amount of money that would have been spent on building new transmission lines are expended on repair of its vandalised lines.

Speaking on the back of a recent cut down of its transmission tower – Tower 53, along the Itu-Adiabo 132kV transmission line in Inuakpa, Odukpani part of Cross Rivers State, the General Manager, Public Affairs of TCN, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, stated that the TCN would be forced to spend money meant for its network expansion on repairs of the line.

Mbah, explained that while the transmission tower was cut down, none of its components was taken away by the vandals, indicating a potential act of economic sabotage.

“The vandalised tower was discovered by TCN engineers around 3pm on the 16th of November, 2017, while on transmission lines patrol. This act of vandalism is a clear unpatriotic act of sabotage against the transmission expansion initiatives of the present management of the company,” said Mbah, in a statement she sent to THISDAY in Abuja.

She added that: “The Itu-Adiabo 132kV transmission line which emanates from the Adiabo transmission station is the second transmission line through which power is supplied to Calabar and environs. Although Calabar is currently being fed from the Adiabo-Calabar 132kV transmission substation, the vandalised tower enables TCN back-feed Calabar when a fault or transmission lines tripping occur.”

“TCN spends funds meant for projects expansion on replacing vandalised costly transmission equipment and lines lost to activities of vandals, which is anti-progressive. Security operatives are already at the site of the incident, to assess the damage and conduct further investigations,” she explained.

Mbah, equally noted that the TCN has secured the commitment of the Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwanyi, to settle extant issues of Right of Way (RoW) on its ongoing 30MVA transmission substation in Nsukka area of the state.

She said the governor gave the assurance to the Interim Managing Director of the TCN, Mr. Usman Mohammed, when he visited him recently in his office in Enugu.

The governor, she explained, was very interested in the project which on completion, will improve power supply and enhance socio-economic activities in Nsukka axis of the state.

She quoted Mohammed to have said that the substation had been completed but TCN needed the assistance of the governor to settle the RoW in host communities to enable it string and activate the transmission towers.

Mbah, equally noted that while in Enugu, Mohammed, inspected the various TCN sub stations there to assess their progress of work. She said the projects include the 30MVA Nsukka Transmission sub station where she claimed work has been completed except for stringing of transmission towers that would bring power to the 30MVA power transformer and the New Haven sub station also in Enugu, the Ninth Mile 2X60 MVA 132/33KV transformer capacity sub station under construction to improve power supply needed for Enugu’s highly industrialised areas.