The Nigerian Senate has called on the Federal Government to promptly allocate funds through the Ministry of Power to restore the vandalized transmission lines that supply electricity to the North East.
This appeal came after a distress motion sponsored by Senator Haruna Manu of Taraba Central, and co-sponsored by eight other senators, highlighting the severe hardships faced by citizens in the affected six states due to a prolonged blackout.
Senator Manu on Wednesday stated that the entire North East has been without power for over a month due to continuous vandalism along the Jos-Gombe 330KV transmission line, disrupting power supply and affecting millions of residents.
The blackout has severely impacted hospitals, commercial activities, communication networks, public safety, and the overall well-being of the people in Plateau, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno States.
Senator Manu also lamented that the ongoing issues have worsened insecurity and imposed a significant financial burden on public resources needed for repairing and replacing damaged infrastructure.
He said: “The vandalization of critical electricity transmission infrastructure poses a significant threat to the economic prosperity, public health, safety, and security of the North-East region of Nigeria.
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“That recent incidents of vandalization along the Jos-Gombe 330KV transmission line have resulted in severe disruptions to power supply, affecting millions of residents, hospitals, commercial activities communication networks, public safety, and the overall well-being of the people in Plateau, Comb Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno States.”
In his contribution to the motion, former Senate President and current Senator for Yobe North, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, expressed regret over the North East zone’s underdevelopment.
He noted that a United Nations report from the 1990s identified the North East as the poorest of the six zones in terms of economic and infrastructural development.
Lawan emphasized that requesting the revival of electricity infrastructure is a modest ask compared to the benefits enjoyed by other zones.
Senator Ahmed Wadada representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District sympathized with the Senators and constituents that make up the entire North East over electricity blackout, insisting that economic activities have moved from the analogue to the digital era, such that without electricity, no one can virtually do anything to eke out a living.
He said: “I sympathise with the people of North East who have been without light for over a month due to a total blackout. Without electricity, you can’t achieve virtually anything.
“Without natives charging their phones, how do you communicate, do digital banking.”
Wadada urged Senator Godswill Akpabio to change the narrative, given that the present administration has the political wherewithal to ensure the workability of the power sector.
After contributions by other lawmakers, prayers, “urging the FG to expedite the construction of the Makurdi-Jalingo 330KVA transmission line, the FG should implement the recommendations in Sections 209, 210, 211, 212, and 213 of the Electricity Act, 2023 was sustained after the question was put to vote by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.”
