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Vandals Destroy 108 Transmission Towers Across The Nation Between January 2022 To September 2023 — TCN

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  • Federal Government Alleges Sabotage

A total of 108 power transmission towers were destroyed by vandals in various parts of the country between January 2022 and September this year.

This is according to the data obtained from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

It was gathered that the vandals destroyed 132kV double circuit power transmission lines, 330kV double circuit lines, and carried out soil excavation that threatened transmission towers, as the Federal Government described the development as sabotage.

The vandalism of transmission towers occurred in the Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Enugu,  and Benin regions, though the government, through TCN, had contracted out the repairs of some of the vandalised towers.

It had also deployed in-house engineers of the transmission company to work on other vandalised towers.

An analysis of data from the transmission company showed that 27 towers were vandalised in the Abuja region during the review period, while nine towers were destroyed in the Lagos region.

The Kano region recorded the highest number of destroyed transmission towers, as 52 towers were vandalised in the region during the review period, while 10 towers were shattered in each of the regions of Enugu Benin.

Nigeria’s power grid had collapsed twice in September, throwing the country into widespread blackout in both cases. The government and consumers blamed this on sabotage and destruction of transmission facilities.

TCN (in an information obtained by The Punch) said that in 2023 alone, it had recorded over 10 incidents of vandalism at different degrees across its regions, especially attacks on its transmission towers.

It stated, “In the Kano region of TCN, 49nos. towers were vandalised; Osogbo region, 51; Abuja region, 19; Enugu region, 18; among others. Nine towers, from Tower 56 to Tower 65 along the Papalanto/Abeokuta 132kV transmission line, located in the Obafemi Owode area of Ogun State, were all massively vandalised, leading to their collapse on May 23, 2023.

“As a result, Abeokuta and its environs were out of power supply for some days as the company had to supply bulk electricity through an alternate line, to enable Ibadan Disco (distribution company) to distribute electricity to its customers whose supply was affected by the incident.

“In the same vein, there were frequent activities of vandals in the TCN Aba sub-region in August 2023, with repair costs totalling about N23. They include 122No earthing copper conductors and 244No copper cable lugs with N366,000 worth of galvanised bolts and nuts carted away.”

It added that at the Port Harcourt sub-region, some cases of vandalism included Owerri Ahoada 132kv DC Line (T199 – T211), IPP/Elelenwo 132kv DC Line (T40, T43, T52 and T53), Owerri/Ahoada 132kv Line (T203 – T217), Ahoada/Yenagoa 132kv Line (T19 – T31) and IPP/Elelenwo 132kv Line (T40).

“Uyo Work Centre has only one case of vandalism at Itu T/S where an underground cable connected to the generator was vandalised.

“The Benin region was not left out of the nefarious acts as vandals attacked towers 30 to 33 along the Ihovbor-Osogbo-Benin-Osogbo double circuit transmission line, cutting the legs of the four towers, but they did not collapse and therefore did not interrupt bulk power transmission on that line.”

According to the TCN, on June 8, 2023, the linesmen of Benin region while patrolling the Benin/Ihovbor/ Osogbo 330kV double circuit line tower, discovered that Towers 30 to 34 were vandalised.

It stated, “The tower legs were sawed off and left to collapse, which could have been catastrophic, as it could have led to the loss of power supply and revenue and the probability of people getting electrocuted.

“The TCN management condemned the activities of these vandals, stating that their nefarious acts negatively impacted the grid expansion efforts of the company and are considered saboteurs. In addition, resources that would have been used to further improve the grid infrastructure would now be used to replace the vandalised towers.

“TCN is again appealing to host communities to join hands in the fight against vandals, admonishing them to report suspicious movement around transmission towers to security operatives or the TCN office in the vicinity.”

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BIG STORY

JUST IN: Warri Refinery Has Resumed Operations — NNPCL

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Barely a month after the commencement of operations at the 60,000-barrel-per-day-old Port Harcourt Refinery, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced that the 125,000-barrel-per-day Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company in Warri, Delta State, is now operational.

This was disclosed by the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, during a tour of the facility on Monday.

A video posted by Channels TV on Monday showed Kyari addressing a tour team, which included the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed.

Before the tour commenced, Kyari explained that the inspection aimed to show Nigerians the level of work completed so far.

According to him, although the repairs on the facility are not yet 100 per cent complete, operations have commenced.

He said, “We are taking you through our plant. This plant is running. Although it is not 100 per cent complete, we are still in the process. Many people think these things are not real. They think real things are not possible in this country. We want you to see that this is real.”

Located in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji, Warri, the petrochemical plant produces 13,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTA) of polypropylene and 18,000 MTA of carbon black.

Commissioned in 1978 and managed by NNPCL, the WRPC was built to supply markets in the southern and southwestern regions of Nigeria.

The mechanical completion of the facility was initially scheduled for the first quarter of 2024, according to the NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.

“Warri should be done by Q1 (first quarter) 2024,” Soneye stated.

The WRPC is one of Nigeria’s four refineries, alongside the old and new Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company in Kaduna State.

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BIG STORY

Wike Slams Peter Odili, Says I Brought You Back To Life Politically

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday, strongly criticized ex-Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili, calling him a rent seeker and an ingrate for supporting the current Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Wike was responding to Odili’s recent statement that Fubara stopped him (Wike) from turning Rivers into his personal estate.

According to a statement on Sunday from his media aide, Leke Olayinka, Wike made his remarks at a Special Thanksgiving Service organized by the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, at the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Oro-Igwe/Eliogbolo Archdeaconry Church of the Holy Spirit, Eliozu Parish, Port Harcourt.

Wike, who labeled Odili an ingrate, recounted how he built a house for the former governor and mentioned that Odili also had some of his family members in government positions, turning Rivers into his private estate.

“Must you be a trader all the time? As governor for eight years, what else are you looking for? You know, I didn’t want to say anything. But somebody called me last night, and told me what someone said in the social media. I said until I read it myself. This morning, I read in the newspapers, what our former Governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili said.”

“What did he say? He said that the present governor has been able to stop one man who wanted to convert Rivers State to his personal estate. Between him and myself, who has turned Rivers State to his personal estate? His wife is a Chairman of Governing Council, his daughter is a commissioner, his other daughter is a judge and he is the general overseer. Who has now turned Rivers State to his private estate? I am sure if care is not taken, if there is a chance, he can even arrange a marriage for the governor.”

“In 2007 after he left office, he couldn’t come near power in the State because Amaechi was the governor then. He was gone! Like somebody said that God will use someone to lift up someone. When I came in as governor in 2015, I won’t use the word resurrected, but I brought him back to life,” Wike said.

The Minister also mentioned that Odili had previously praised him as being better than past governors in the state, asserting that the former Governor had reduced himself to a laughingstock.

“All of you here remember when I was governor, this same Odili praised me to high heaven. In fact, he said then that all past governors in Rivers State combined did not do better than me. Now, because you have organized a Christmas Carol for the governor, I didn’t say you should not do your Christmas Carol. But why reduce yourself to such a laughing stock? People will still see it on television how he was telling the whole world then how God used me to bring him back to life politically.”

“The governor that all of us made has not spent one year in office and the same Odili was already saying that the governor has beaten the records of all the past governors of Rivers State. When I was there, he said I had surpassed the records of all the past governors, including himself. What can he even show that he did in his eight years as governor? But a governor has not spent one year, you are saying he has done more than all the past governors.”

The Minister further emphasized that the former Governor had no significant accomplishments during his eight years in office. He added that Odili failed in his Presidential bid and opposed Fubara’s emergence as Governor of Rivers State.

“You spent eight years as governor and someone who hasn’t spent one year has surpassed your records, what manner of elder talks like that? Is that what an elder statesman should be known for?”

“When I was plotting who will be governor after me, was he (Odili) there? Then, he was complaining about this governor, saying that he couldn’t stand before the public to talk. But today, he is organizing Christmas Carol for the same governor he was against then.”

“He has forgotten all that he said in the past. I named this after you, I named that after your wife. What have I not done? This is a man who wanted to run for President then, he didn’t have the balls, he chickened out. Simply because Obasanjo said no, he will not contest, he ran away. Because of him, I never invited Obasanjo to Rivers State to inaugurate projects. I felt it would humiliate him,” Wike said.

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BIG STORY

Customs To Auction Seized Petrol At N400 Per Litre [PHOTOS]

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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it will auction 15,325 litres of seized premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, to ease transportation during the festive period.

Hussein Ejibunu, national coordinator of the service’s Operation Whirlwind, made the announcement on Saturday at a press briefing held at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos State.

Ejibunu said the product, valued at N27.5 million, was seized during operations in Lagos and Ogun states.

He said Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General of Customs, has directed that the products be auctioned at the rate of N10,000 per 25 litres.

The coordinator further said a court condemnation order and all legal processes have been finalised by the office of the legal adviser to facilitate the auctioning.

“This operation has been on since 27 May 2024 and has yielded positive results, as the CGC has urged the operatives to continue sustaining the tempo until the activities of these economic saboteurs are stamped out of this country,” Ejibunu said.

“On this note, the CGC has directed Auctions of the seized product to members of the public at the rate of N10,000 per 25 litres. This will ease the transportation hardship during this festive period.”

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