Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has established a ministerial committee to tackle the vandalism of electricity infrastructure, which continues to disrupt power supply and cost the country billions of naira in repairs.
The committee brings together security agencies, government officials and electricity sector stakeholders to develop a coordinated plan to protect power generation, transmission and distribution facilities.
The initiative aims to prevent attacks, strengthen enforcement of existing laws and improve electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries.
According to the Ministry of Power, repeated attacks on electricity infrastructure increase repair costs, disrupt supply to consumers and threaten investments needed to improve the power sector.
The ministry says the committee will also define the specific responsibilities of participating institutions to ensure a coordinated and lasting response.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the committee’s inaugural meeting includes the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa; officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser; representatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power; and other relevant directors and agencies.
The committee’s activities will be aligned with the critical infrastructure unit of the Office of the National Security Adviser, reflecting the government’s position that protecting electricity facilities is a national security priority.
During the meeting, participants identify several measures to address the problem.
These include enforcing existing laws, ensuring the prosecution of offenders, deploying technology to protect critical installations and intensifying public awareness campaigns to discourage vandalism.
The agencies also agree to work together to prevent further attacks and improve the protection of electricity infrastructure.
The committee is expected to reconvene next week to assess progress and review the implementation of its proposed measures.
The scale of the problem remains a concern for the electricity sector.
In June 2025, the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported 42 vandalism incidents affecting 178 transmission towers during the first half of that year.
The affected areas included transmission regions covering Abuja, Bauchi, Enugu, Shiroro, Kano and Port Harcourt.
In another indication of the financial burden, former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu disclosed in January 2025 that more than nine billion naira had been spent restoring vandalised electricity infrastructure in northern Nigeria in 2024.
Mediaplusng.com reports that damage to transmission towers, power lines, cables and other equipment can interrupt electricity delivery even when power stations are generating electricity.
When transmission infrastructure is damaged, electricity may not reach distribution companies as required, leaving homes and businesses without reliable supply until repairs are completed.
Repeated attacks also divert money and technical resources that could otherwise support network expansion, improved capacity and more dependable electricity services.
The new committee is therefore expected to focus not only on repairing damaged facilities but also on preventing attacks before they occur.
For households and businesses, effective protection of power infrastructure could help reduce outages caused by vandalism and support more reliable electricity supply.
The key challenge now is to ensure that the committee’s proposals translate into practical action, stronger enforcement and better protection of the country’s electricity network.
