The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed that the federal government has spent more than N88 billion repairing and restoring power infrastructure damaged by vandalism nationwide between 2021 and 2025.
Seyi Onabajo, TCN’s Principal Manager (Lines) for the Lagos Region, revealed this during a sensitisation programme held at the Odogunyan 132 kilovolt (kV) transmission substation in Ikorodu, Lagos.
“We understand the significant losses the company is incurring,” Onabajo stated. “Funds intended for rebuilding have instead been diverted to maintenance due to repeated vandalism. Records show that over N88 billion has been spent on repairs in the past four years alone, which is alarming.”
He added, “As a nation, we desire a 24/7 electricity supply and equitable power distribution to all communities. However, continuous expenditure on vandalism repairs hinders achieving these goals.”
Onabajo urged local communities to take responsibility in protecting power infrastructure, emphasizing that vandalism is a deliberate act motivated by personal gain. He called for collective efforts to safeguard and rebuild the nation’s power network.
Mojeed Akintola, TCN’s General Manager in Lagos, highlighted the broader consequences of vandalism, including prolonged downtime and high financial costs.
“When a transmission tower is vandalised, the entire line must often be shut down for repairs, causing outages that can last two to four months,” Akintola explained.
He cited a recent case at Abeokuta, where repairs on 10 vandalised towers took three months, despite emergency alternative power solutions that took four days to implement. “On that project alone, TCN incurred costs of about N1 million per day. Over three months, that amounts to a huge financial burden,” he said.
Akintola appealed to the public, security agencies, and steel companies to collaborate with TCN to prevent further vandalism of critical power infrastructure.
