The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Thursday said it has restored power supply to Maiduguri, Borno State despite the security challenges within the terrain.
It said bulk power supply is presently being transmitted through a diversion using 33 kilovolts high tension poles as a by-pass transmission line, constructed by its engineers.
In a statement by the company’s Spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, it said this will enable supply to Maiduguri, while effort is ongoing to reconstruct three vandalised transmission towers along 330kV Damaturu – Maiduguri line.
Boko Haram insurgents had on January 26, 2021, vandalized three towers in Jakana area of Maiduguri leading to power outage in Maiduguri and its environs.
“Due to the enormity of the damage, and time it would take to reconstruct the towers, TCN Management tasked its engineers to urgently construct a temporary by-pass so that power is restored to the affected areas in the shortest possible time,” the statement partly read.
On the execution of the 330kV Damaturu-Maiduguri diversion (by-pass), TCN Ag. MD/CEO, Engr. Sule Abdulaziz, noted that while work was ongoing on the temporary transmission line in February 2021, five out of the company’s engineers working on the line were rushed to the hospital when their vehicle drove on an explosive device buried underground by insurgents.
“The incident notwithstanding, TCN engineers re-mobilized to site and completed the temporary transmission line. Presently, work is still ongoing on the towers,” the statement quoted him as saying.
While commending the state government’s support, Engr. Abdulaziz also commended the team of engineers who consistently put their lives on the line to ensure that the 330kV Damaturu – Maiduguri by-pass is completed, even as they continue to work on the three transmission towers that were vandalized.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.