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Electricity: Bayelsa Faces Months Of Blackout As Vandals Destroy 13 TCN Towers

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The rising spate of attacks on power infrastructures continued yesterday with vandals destroying 13 transmission towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line across several communities in Rivers and Bayelsa states.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, in a statement in Abuja said it will take months to replace the towers and re-string them in order to restore power supply to Bayelsa State.

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TCN General Manager, PublicAffairs, Ndidi Mbah said the incident was first reported by the Youth President of the Ukpeli Community in Rivers State on August 12, 2024.

According to her, the Port Harcourt region of TCN, led by General Manager of Transmission, Engr. Emmanuel Akpa, visited the site near TCN’s Ahoada Transmission Substation to assess the situation.

READ ALSO: TCN Gives Update On Collapsed National Grid

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“The team confirmed that thirteen towers, from T52 to T64, were affected by vandalism. Of these, nine towers have collapsed completely, while four are hanging precariously and could collapse at any moment”, she added.

The Managing Director/CEO of TCN, Engr. Abdulazeez mmmmm, described the incident as a national disaster and urged the governments of Rivers State and Bayelsa State to assist the company in addressing the ongoing vandalism of its installations, which has become increasingly alarming and overwhelming.

He noted that TCN had recently responded to the vandalism and subsequent collapse of towers T97 to T99 on the same line route on July 29, 2024, with work still ongoing to rebuild the vandalized towers.

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Additionally, a new contract was recently awarded for the reinforcement of towers 19-31 on the Ahoada-Yenagoa line, where tower members had been vandalized and stolen. Despite these ongoing efforts, the recent vandalism of the thirteen towers presents a significant challenge to TCN.

READ ALSO: NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE…Policy Change Threatens HND Graduates’ Participation

“The thirteen vandalized towers are located in several communities, including Okobe in Ahoada East, Emezhi 1 in Ahoada West, and Mbiama in Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, as well as the Igbogene community in Bayelsa State”, the company added.

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Mbah stated that the “Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit Transmission line is crucial for evacuating power from the Ahoada Transmission Substation to the Yenagoa Substation, which supplies electricity to the entire Bayelsa State.

“Given the extent of the destruction to the towers and the ongoing work on previously vandalized transmission towers, it may take several months for TCN to complete the rebuilding and stringing of the towers to restore power supply to the state.

“TCN once again appeals to security operatives, host communities, traditional rulers, state governments, and all stakeholders to collaborate with TCN in the fight against power installation vandalism. Urgent action is required”.

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Discos Threaten Darkness Over Electricity Tariff Reduction In Enugu

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The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, ANED, have threatened to plunge Band A electricity customers in Enugu State into darkness if they pay the N160 per kilowatt-hour as an electricity bill in line with the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission Multi-Year-Tariff Order.

Sunday Oduntan, gave the warning on Thursday in an interview with TVC.

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His threat comes as EERC in a recent MYTO, mandated MainPower, a subsidiary of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, to reduce its Band A tariff to N160/kWh from N209/kWh.

The announcement had generated mixed reactions in the country’s electricity market.

READ ALSO: NLC Threatens Nationwide Protest Over Telecoms, Electricity Tariff Hikes

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Reacting, Oduntan urged Band A electricity customers not to be carried away by the announcement.

He emphasised that Band A electricity customers will begin to experience epileptic power supply if they pay the N160 kWh tariff announced by EERC.

If you are in band A and in Enugu, and they are now asking you to pay N160 per kilowatt-hour, they are deceiving you. At the end of the day, your light will begin to go off. We are talking about cost recovery.

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“We are talking about not setting us back to those dark old days. Things are better today because of the issue of liquidity; it was bad in those days due to liquidity,” he said.

READ ALSO: Tragedy As Navy Boat Capsizes After Free Medical Outreach In Delta

DAILY POST reports that outside Discos, electricity generation companies had also kicked against EERC’s tariff reduction for Band A customers.

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The federal government earlier said it would not recommend Band A electricity tariff removal for states because it is currently grappling to pay electricity debt of over N5 trillion.

Meanwhile, electricity consumers under Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy have raised doubts over the implementation of EERC’s MYTO on MainPower.

 

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BREAKING: EndSARS: Court Awards N10m In Damages Against Police

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The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has awarded N10 million in damages against the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police for violation of the fundamental rights of several peaceful protesters.

The suit was filed by applicants who participated during the fourth anniversary of the #ENDSARS peaceful memorial procession.

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Delivering the judgment on Thursday, Justice M. Kakaki held that the applicants were unjustly harassed and their rights infringed upon.

The suit was filed against the police by Hassan Taiwo Soweto, Uadiale Kingsley, Ilesanmi Kehinde, Osopale Adeseye, Olamilekan Sanusi, and Miss Osugba Blessing.

READ ALSO:LASG Lists Five Council Roads For Completion By Year-end

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Others were Kayode Agbaje, Michael Adedeji, Jennifer Rita Obiora, Orunsola Oluremi, Seyi Akinde, Akin Okunowon, Ugochukwu Prince, Aisha Omolara, Thomas Abiodun Olamide, Ogbu Obinna Ferdinald, Aghedo Kehinde Stephen, Duronike Olawale, Isaac Obasi, Funmilayo Jolade Ajayi, Gideon Adeyemi, and Afeez Suleiman.

Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Take It Back Movement (TIB), and Campaign for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) were also part of the suit.

According to the court, the police have constitutional powers to enforce laws but such powers must be exercised in accordance with democratic principles and the rule of law.

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The judge affirmed that the applicants were entitled to the constitutional right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association as contained in the Nigerian Constitution.

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Bird Strike Forces Air Peace Flight To Emergency Return

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Air Peace has announced a temporary disruption to its flight schedules following a bird strike incident involving one of its aircraft on Thursday morning.

In a statement released by the airline, the affected aircraft, Flight P47100 operating the Lagos to Enugu route, was forced to make an emergency return to base shortly after takeoff due to a bird strike that compromised safety.

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According to the airline, the decision to return was made as a precautionary measure to allow engineers conduct a comprehensive safety assessment of the aircraft.

READ ALSO:French Media Giant Acquires MultiChoice In $3bn Deal, Gains Full Control Of DStv, GOtv

The incident led to a ripple effect across the airline’s flight network, causing delays and rescheduling of several flights.

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Air Peace acknowledged the inconvenience caused and extended apologies to affected passengers, assuring them that efforts were underway to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.

We sincerely emphasize with our passengers over the inconvenience caused and appeal for your patience and understanding as we work diligently to minimize disruptions.”

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