The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is actively engaging local communities as key partners in safeguarding the nation’s power transmission infrastructure. Recognising that the protection of these vital assets is crucial for sustained socio-economic development, TCN has launched a grassroots sensitisation campaign targeting youths in host communities.
During an outreach in Rivers State’s Ahoada East and West areas, TCN’s general manager for Port Harcourt Region, Akpa Anyaegbunam, emphasised the pivotal role that community members must play in preventing the sabotage of power towers. He highlighted that vandalism not only causes costly repairs but also triggers prolonged power outages, severely impacting both local livelihoods and the broader Nigerian economy.
The campaign aims to foster a sense of ownership among youths, encouraging them to become vigilant guardians of transmission lines. Anyaegbunam pointed out that while the direct perpetrators of vandalism may not always be local youths, such destructive acts rarely occur without some level of community complicity.
He called for collective responsibility to protect these infrastructures, which are essential for everyday life and development.
According to him, beyond the substantial financial costs incurred in repairing damaged infrastructure, such acts resulted in prolonged power outages, thereby disrupting economic and domestic activities for consumers.
“This is why we engaged the youths of Ahoada East and Ahoada West in Rivers State to encourage them to join the fight against vandalism of power installations in their communities,” he explained.
Anyaegbunam stressed the need for young people to actively participate in safeguarding transmission infrastructures, citing a recent incident of sabotage that led to a blackout in Bayelsa.
He said the ongoing sensitisation campaign, which covers several communities in TCN’s Port Harcourt region, was aimed at raising awareness and fostering local participation in the protection of national assets.
He revealed that in July 2024, 20 transmission towers were vandalised along the Ahoada-Yenagoa power line, plunging the entire Bayelsa into an avoidable four-month blackout.
“The question we continue to ask is, who are the individuals vandalising these transmission towers?
“We are not suggesting that the youths themselves are directly involved, but no stranger can enter a community and damage infrastructure without the support or complicity of someone from that community.
In response, local youth leader Isaiah Sunday expressed strong support for the initiative, proposing the formation of community surveillance teams. These teams would actively monitor and report suspicious activities, ensuring that both youths and community leaders are united in preserving the power assets.
This collaborative approach comes in the wake of a severe incident last July, when 20 transmission towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa line were vandalised, causing a four-month blackout in Bayelsa State. The ongoing sensitisation efforts across TCN’s Port Harcourt region underscore the importance of community involvement in securing national infrastructure and sustaining Nigeria’s power supply.
He advocated for the formation of surveillance teams within host communities to safeguard transmission facilities.
“We understand that the federal government has provided this infrastructure to improve lives and economic wellbeing.
“The establishment of surveillance teams will ensure both community leaders and youths are actively involved in protecting these power assets from vandals,” Sunday suggested.
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