TheCable

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says rebuilding of vandalised towers in the northeast was close to completion.

TCN, in a statement on Tuesday by Ndidi Mbah, its general manager of public affairs, gave assurance to the North-East Governors  Forum (NEGF), adding that the company was working very hard to meet the May 27 deadline.

On April 23, TCN said four of its towers along the Jos–Gombe 330 kilo volt (kV) transmission line were vandalised — affecting electricity supply to Gombe, Damaturu, Maiduguri, Yola, Bauchi, and Jalingo.

However, NEGF on May 17, called out TCN expressing their disappointment over the blackout experienced by the region over the last month.

The forum said it was keenly patiently waiting for TCN to restore power to all the states of the region as promised.

Providing updates, Mbah said the power supply will be restored by May 27, through the new 330kV transmission line, allowing Yola and Jos DisCos to offtake and distribute optimally from TCN substations.

“We are acutely aware that the lack of power supply presents significant difficulties and challenges, and we understand the concerns of the governors for their people and the day-to-day running of governance and businesses. We are not happy about the situation,” Mbah said.

“Our team has been tirelessly working to rebuild the four towers destroyed by vandals, and we will not rest until power is restored to all the affected areas. 

“We appeal for a little more patience, as work is truly advancing. We are pushing our contractors very hard to ensure we deliver on our promise of rebuilding the towers and energizing the transmission line.

“Despite the recent increase in vandalism, we have continued to rebuild towers each time they are damaged and have consistently restored supply. 

“The four vandalized towers on the Gombe axis are no exception. Despite our prevailing poor liquidity, we have mobilized all necessary resources to ensure this job gets the attention it requires.

“To expedite the work, we have insisted that the contractor put in place and on-site machines. that will help increase the fabrication processes of tower members which is ongoing.”

Mbah said a visit to the site showed that the towers were nearing completion, with one tower at 90 percent completion, another at 80 percent, a third at 60 percent, and the fourth at 40 percent.

“We are utilizing all available daylight hours for the work. However, due to security issues, we are unable to work through the night, which we would have gladly done,” she said. 

“Nevertheless, we are optimistic about completing the reconstruction and energizing the line within the given time frame.”

Mbah also appealed to the NEGF to be patient, adding that the company is working very hard to complete the work within the timeframe.