From David Onuoja, Abuja
The Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, has convened a high-level ministerial committee on the prevention of vandalism of power infrastructure, as part of renewed efforts to guarantee stable and reliable electricity supply for households, businesses and industries across the country.
The committee, which brings together key security and power sector stakeholders, is tasked with ending persistent attacks on assets across the electricity value chain, from generation to transmission and distribution.
According to the Ministry, in a statement issued and signed by the management said, the committee was constituted in response to the increasing attacks on power infrastructure, which disrupt supply to consumers, inflate repair costs and erode the huge investments on which the sector depends.
The inaugural meeting, held in Abuja, was attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa, directors from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power and directors from relevant agencies.
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Participants at the meeting proposed far-reaching measures to curb vandalism and clearly outlined the roles each institution will play in protecting national assets. They resolved to enforce existing laws on vandalism, deploy technology for asset protection and intensify sensitisation and advocacy to prevent incidents.
All parties pledged to work collaboratively to end the menace, with the committee’s work aligned to the critical infrastructure unit of ONSA, reinforcing the treatment of power assets as a national security priority.
The committee is expected to reconvene next week to review progress, with effective implementation expected to translate into fewer outages caused by attacks on infrastructure, more dependable electricity supply and stronger protection of public and private investments in the power sector.
