The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has asked for the formation of “power rangers” to oversee the preservation of the country’s electrical infrastructure.
This came as the Federal Government issued a warning to tower vandals to stop vandalizing gearbox towers or face the consequences.
Vandals damaged two towers, T193 and T194, along the 330-kilovolt single-circuit transmission line on Wednesday, while three towers, T193, T194, and T195, were destroyed in Borno State on December 28, 2023, using improvised explosive devices.
Speaking on Friday at the Passing Out Parade and Inauguration of the Second Batch of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals in Abuja, Tunji-Ojo condemned the recent wave of power infrastructure vandalism as “economic terrorism” that requires strict punishment.
Tunji-Ojo said, “I will speak with my brother, the Minister of Power. The rate of vandalism and economic terrorism going on with our transmission lines has to be looked into.
“It is your job to make sure that no critical asset of the government is destroyed, and we are ready, and I believe NSCDC is up to the task.”
Tunji-Ojo also urged the Commandant General of the NSCDC to set up a squad that would wage war against power vandals.
Tunji-Ojo said, “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.
“I have decided that the solution to your accomplishing your mandate is the sectoralization of your responsibility.”
He also assured Nigerians that the country would do everything it takes to win the war against illegal miners.
He said, “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 and deploy more personnel to make sure that all our mines and all critical assets of Nigeria are well protected.
“We have seen that there is no solution to our problems that Nigerians cannot prefer. Yes, we’ve not yet won the war, but we know we will.”
The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, who was represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mary Ogbe, urged illicit miners to formalize their operations.
He said, “Let me warn illegal miners to embrace the bold initiative of the administration of the president 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.”
The NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi, stated that one of the greatest issues in the mining sector is illegal mining, which is mostly carried out by craftsmen who operate without governmental authority.
“The aforementioned therefore underscores the need to implement adequate security measures. This intensive training program, which is continuous, therefore becomes necessary to add value and bite to the fight against criminality, especially illegal mining,” he added.
