To protect Nigeria’s electrical infrastructure, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has proposed for the creation of “power rangers.” He states that the purpose of this action is to combat the widespread damage of transmission towers, which the minister referred to as “economic terrorism.”
Vandals on the 330 kilovolt single-circuit transmission line on Wednesday demolished the T193 and T194 transmission towers. Similar events occurred on December 28, 2023, when vandals in Borno State destroyed three towers—T193, T194, and T195—using homemade explosives.
Speaking on Friday in Abuja during the Passing Out Parade and induction of the second class of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals, Tunji-Ojo underlined how critical it is to address this problem. The rate of economic terrorism and vandalism going on with our transmission lines, has to be looked into,” he stated. “It is your job to make sure that no critical asset of government is destroyed and we are ready and I believe NSCDC is up to the task.”
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He urged the NSCDC Commandant General to establish a specialized squad dedicated to combating power vandals. “The next time I come here, I want to see my Power Rangers, I mean people that will protect our distribution lines, people that will protect our Gencos, people that will protect every power sector. It is not reasonable, it’s not acceptable for a country like Nigeria to spend billions of dollars on power infrastructure all for it to be vandalized. No country grows or develops without the power sector, so NSCDC, it is time for you to play your part,” Tunji-Ojo insisted.
He further outlined a plan to sectorize responsibilities within the NSCDC to ensure more effective protection of critical infrastructure.
The Minister also touched on the issue of illegal mining, assuring Nigerians that the government is committed to winning this battle. “Today, I can tell you the revenue from the solid mineral sector is not where it used to be, it has improved. The security in terms of our mines has improved and of course, Nigeria is a big country therefore, we need to train more, we need to deploy more personnel to make sure that all our mines and all critical assets of Nigeria are well protected,” he said. “We have seen that there is no solution to our problems that Nigerians cannot provide. Yes, we’ve not yet won the war, but we know we will win the war.”
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The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mary Ogbe, also spoke at the event. He warned illegal miners to formalize their activities or face prosecution. “Let me warn illegal miners to embrace the bold initiative of the administration of the chief by formalizing their activities through the formation of cooperatives. The alternative is to face the dire consequences of prosecution for land degradation and illegal operations,” Ogbe stated.
General Ahmed Audi, the Commandant of the NSCDC, emphasised the problem of illicit mining, which is primarily done by craftsmen without official authorization. He emphasised that in order to bolster the battle against illicit mining, sufficient security measures and continuous, in-depth training programmes are essential.
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