Power Ministry, Security Agencies Move to Curb Infrastructure Vandalism

… As Committee proposes stricter law enforcement, technology to protect electricity assets

By Adebola Muili

The Federal Government has moved to strengthen the protection of electricity infrastructure, with the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, convening a ministerial committee to tackle vandalism across the power sector.

The committee, inaugurated at its maiden meeting in Abuja, resolved to enforce existing laws against vandalism, deploy technology to protect critical national assets and intensify public sensitisation to prevent attacks on electricity infrastructure.

The Ministry of Power said the initiative was aimed at addressing attacks on generation, transmission and distribution facilities, which disrupt electricity supply, increase repair costs and undermine investment in the sector.

The 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); the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power; and directors from the ministry and relevant agencies.

According to the ministry, the committee is expected to define the responsibilities of participating institutions and coordinate their efforts towards finding a lasting solution to the vandalism of electricity infrastructure.

Its activities will be aligned with the critical infrastructure unit of ONSA, reflecting the government’s position that protecting power assets should be treated as a national security priority.

At the meeting, participants outlined measures their respective institutions would adopt and pledged to work together to end the menace.

The committee is expected to reconvene next week to review progress and assess the implementation of the proposed measures.

The government hopes that effective implementation will reduce outages caused by attacks on electricity infrastructure, improve the reliability of power supply to households and businesses, and safeguard public and private investments across the electricity value chain.