FG, States Collaborate on Vandalism of Power Assets: Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil Chineme Okafor The federal government has urged states and local councils to assist in the ongoing campaign against vandalism of power infrastructure. Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil made the call while commissioning three transmission sub-stations recently completed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in Kumbotso, Tamburawa and Kwanar Dangora, all in Kano state. Mohammed noted that it was the responsibility of all tiers of government to protect public assets, such as electricity assets from vandalism, adding that abiding by such collective responsibility should be the hallmark of good citizenry and responsible leadership. “The government should be encouraged to spend scarce resources on improving and expanding the nation’s power infrastructure rather than replacing the vandalised ones, it makes more economic sense to do so than replacing vandalised assets,” he said. The minister said: “My appeal goes to the state government to urge the good people of Kano State to desist from encroaching on the TCN’s Right of Way in order to prevent unnecessary deaths resulting from electrocution or other accidents arising from such encroachment. This is more so, as such encroachments hamper access to transmission infrastructure when there is need to work on them, with a view to rectifying the faults, he added. The minister described the commissioning of the sub stations as a significant milestone in the government’s efforts at improving power supply in Kano State and its environs, adding that it is in realisation of the cosmopolitan nature of the state as the hub for commerce and economic activities. Wakil explained that with the upgrade, the Kumbotso substation is now capable of delivering more reliable and qualitative power up to 450 megawatts (MW) to Kano metropolis, Kankia in Katsina State, and other towns in Jigawa State. The Tamburawa station will also improve power supply in Challawa, Madobi, Kwankwaso and Panshekara. “Additionally, the construction of Kwanar Dan Gora will facilitate more improvement in power supply to Kano Law School, Karaye and Tudun-wada, all in Kano State,” he noted. Meanwhile, the national assembly has asked the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to take out punitive measures against any operator in the electricity sector that is found guilty of disregard for extant rules in the sector. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Olugbenga Obadara who led his committee on a routine courtesy call on the commission stated in his remarks that while the senators were aware of the challenges in the electricity sector, it would equally ask NERC to wield the big stick when necessary. Obadara said that the committee was well aware of the enormity of the job before the commission, pointing out that NERC remains the bridge between the operators and the people; he however said that punishing errant operators remains part of the statutory responsibilities of NERC to Nigeria. He expressed the committee’s confidence the power privatisation exercise, adding that it would make sure that it does not go the way of other reforms that the country had embarked upon in the past. Original link Read More goo.gl/RqpkrM (y) ✍comment ☏share
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 06:49:45 +0000
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