By Agency Report
The power outage affecting Akwa Ibom State for more than two days is due to the vandalism of 13 transmission towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that TCN towers T97 to T99 were destroyed by vandals on 29 July.
Bayelsa State is one of the states in the South-South Region expected to experience an extended blackout.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager for Public Affairs, noted that the blackout will also impact several communities in Rivers State.
The extent of the damage was revealed after a site visit by Emmanuel Akpa, General Manager of the Port Harcourt Transmission region, who found that all 13 towers, from T52 to T64, had been affected.
Mbah reported that nine of the vandalized towers have collapsed entirely, while four others are at imminent risk of collapsing.
The statement indicated that the incident was initially reported by the Youth President of the Ukpeli Community in Rivers State on August 12, 2024.
It also highlighted that the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit Transmission line is essential for transmitting power from the Ahoada Transmission Substation to the Yenagoa Substation, which provides electricity to all of Bayelsa State.
“Given the extent of the destruction to the towers and the ongoing work on previously vandalised transmission towers, it may take several months for TCN to complete the rebuilding and stringing of the towers to restore power supply to the state.”
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, described the incident “as a national disaster” as he urged the governments of Rivers and Bayelsa states to assist TCN to curb the vandalism of its installations which has been “increasingly alarming and overwhelming.”
Abdulaziz noted that TCN had “recently responded to the vandalism and subsequent collapse of towers T97 to T99 on the same line route on July 29, 2024, with work still ongoing to rebuild the vandalised towers.
“Additionally, a new contract was recently awarded for the reinforcement of towers 19-31 on the Ahoada-Yenagoa line, where tower members had been vandalised and stolen,” adding that “despite these ongoing efforts, the recent vandalism of the 13 towers presents a significant challenge.”
The statement noted that the 13 vandalized towers are situated in various communities, including Okobe in Ahoada East, Emezhi 1 and Mbiama in Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, as well as the Igbogene community in Bayelsa State.
