Darkness in North East persist as vandals destroy TCN towers

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said reported a setback in its efforts to restore power back to the North East which has been in darkness since April.

Tribune Online reports that on April 23, 2024, four towers along the Jos–Gombe 330 kilo volt (kV) transmission line were vandalised which affected electricity supply to Gombe, Damaturu, Maiduguri, Yola, Bauchi, and Jalingo state capitals of Gombe, To be, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi and Taraba States.

A statement made signed by TCN’s general manager, public affairs, Ndidi Mbah and made available to newsmen on Monday said one of the four new towers along the Jos-Gombe 330 kilo volt (kV) transmission line collapsed during the cable stringing process.

According to Mbah, the incident occurred while the contractor was stringing the cable on the last tower which was to enable the final joining of the power cable in time for energising the line on the same day.

She however expressed sadness that while the contractor was currently working on dismantling the collapsed tower members to enable reconstruction and final restringing of the four vandalised towers, three towers along the Biu-Danboa 132kV transmission line were also vandalised with 16 spans of conductors stolen.

“In spite of the security challenges in the area, TCN contractors and some of our engineering staff worked tirelessly to fast-track the project, doing all that was humanly possible to meet the time-line. Everyday, the contractor, TCN engineers accompanied by security operatives consistently left the site by 10 pm in the night and resumed work at 6 a.m. every day.

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“Constructing towers and stringing power cables at such heights is highly technical, although TCN contractors and staff have successfully completed similar projects in other parts of the country. The collapse of the fourth tower is a significant setback, given the extensive efforts to ensure that the May 27 power restoration timeline was met.

“This morning also, the TCN lines patrol team discovered that tower T540 along the Makurdi – Jos 330kV double circuit transmission line has been vandalised
Sections of the tower have been removed, although the tower remains standing. TCN has contracted emergency repairs, to prevent its collapse.

“We reiterate our commitment to restoring normal bulk power supply through the distribution companies serving the North East and other areas affected by vandalism. There is, however, an urgent need for everyone to join hands with TCN in protecting our collective assets by being vigilant, and reporting any suspected acts of tower and line vandalism promptly,” the statement read.

It would be recall that the North-East Governors Forum (NEGF) had called out TCN expressing disappointment over the blackout being experienced by the region since last month.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE