The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says persistent vandalism has cost it over ₦88 billion between 2021 and 2025—funds originally meant for expanding the nation’s power network but now diverted to repairing damaged infrastructure.
TCN’s General Manager, Lagos Region, Mojeed Akintola, disclosed this last Thursday during a sensitisation programme for residents of Ogijo and Odogunyan in Ikorodu, Lagos State. The campaign aimed to encourage communities to help protect transformers, power towers, and cables from vandals.
“Most of the funds meant for new installations are now used to fix damaged infrastructure,” Akintola said. “Vandalism not only disrupts our operations but plunges entire communities into darkness.”
He explained that repairing a vandalised tower can take months. For example, when 10 towers in Abeokuta were vandalised, repairs lasted three months at a cost of ₦1 million per day.
Backing Akintola’s statement, TCN’s Principal Manager (Lines), Lagos Region, Seyi Onabajo, warned that illegal construction under the company’s Right of Way further hinders operations and endangers lives. “If we are spending so much on repairs, how do we achieve our goal of providing 24/7 electricity supply?” he asked.
Security agencies also weighed in. Ogijo Divisional Police Officer, CSP Fatoberu Oyekan, urged TCN to partner with the Joint Task Force and engage local vigilantes to guard installations. He stressed the need for community members to testify in court to ensure vandals are prosecuted.
Similarly, CSC Adekunle Dokunmu of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) called on steel manufacturers to reject stolen cables and metals. He revealed that the Lagos State Government has set up an agency to monitor scrap dealers to curb the sale of stolen power infrastructure.
Baale Ladigboye of Ikorodu, Chief Joseph Giwa, commended TCN’s initiative and proposed monthly sensitisation sessions. He also pledged to carry the anti-vandalism message to the grassroots while urging the company to step up surveillance around its installations.
