Susan Abayomi
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has inaugurated a ministerial committee involving security agencies and key government institutions to tackle the vandalism of electricity infrastructure across Nigeria.
The initiative is aimed at improving the reliability of electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries by preventing attacks on critical assets across the power generation, transmission and distribution value chain.
The committee was established in response to persistent attacks on electricity infrastructure, which disrupt power supply, increase repair costs and undermine investments in the sector. It is also expected to define the responsibilities of participating institutions and coordinate efforts towards finding lasting solutions to the problem.
The inaugural meeting 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); representatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); the Permanent Secretary; and directors from the Federal Ministry of Power and relevant agencies.
The committee’s activities will be coordinated with the critical infrastructure unit of the ONSA, reflecting the importance of protecting electricity assets as part of Nigeria’s national security priorities.
During the meeting, participants proposed strategies to prevent vandalism and outlined the responsibilities of their respective institutions in tackling the menace.
Key resolutions included enforcing existing laws against infrastructure vandalism, ensuring that offenders face justice, deploying technology to protect critical national assets, and intensifying public awareness campaigns to discourage attacks.
The participating agencies also pledged to strengthen collaboration and coordinate their efforts to reduce incidents of vandalism across the power sector.
The committee is expected to reconvene next week to assess progress and review the implementation of the proposed measures.
Successful implementation of the initiative is expected to reduce power outages caused by attacks on electricity infrastructure, improve the reliability of electricity supply and protect public and private investments in the sector.
