The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has convened a ministerial committee involving security agencies and key government institutions to strengthen the protection of electricity infrastructure and curb vandalism across the power sector.
The committee held its inaugural meeting in Abuja as part of efforts to address attacks on generation, transmission and distribution assets that contribute to power outages, increase repair costs and undermine investments in the electricity industry.
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The initiative brings together security and power sector stakeholders to develop coordinated measures to prevent vandalism and ensure the effective protection of critical national infrastructure.
Among those who attended the meeting were the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa; officials of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); the Permanent Secretary; and directors from the Federal Ministry of Power and relevant agencies.
The committee’s activities will be aligned with the critical infrastructure unit of the Office of the National Security Adviser to strengthen coordination and reinforce the treatment of electricity infrastructure as a national security priority.
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During the meeting, participants proposed measures to address vandalism and outlined the responsibilities of their respective institutions in tackling the problem.
They resolved to enforce existing laws against vandalism, ensure offenders are brought to justice, deploy technology to protect electricity assets and intensify public sensitisation to prevent attacks.
The stakeholders also pledged to strengthen inter-agency collaboration to eliminate the menace and safeguard infrastructure across the electricity value chain.
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The committee is expected to reconvene next week to assess progress and review the implementation of the proposed measures.
The initiative is aimed at reducing outages caused by attacks on power infrastructure, improving electricity supply reliability and protecting public and private investments in the sector.