Concerns over the persistent vandalism of electricity infrastructure in Akwa Ibom State have resurfaced, barely days after the state marked its 39th anniversary, with calls for urgent government and community action to curb the trend.
Speaking with our Reporter, Wilfred Assam, an Uyo-based Security Expert, Saviour Akpan identified some local government areas in the state where vandalism of electricity poles and other infrastructure remains a recurring challenge, noting that the situation has left several communities without electricity for months.
Akpan lamented that despite huge investments by the state government and intervention agencies in the power sector, activities of vandals have continued to undermine efforts at achieving steady and sustainable electricity supply across the state.
He listed areas such as Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Atai, Okobo, Oron, Mbo, Udung Uko, Urue Offong Oruko and parts of Eket and Etinan as flashpoints where cases of stolen armoured cables, transformer components and electricity poles are frequently reported.
According to him, the vandals often operate at night, removing copper wires, feeder pillars and other valuable components from transformers and power lines, which they later sell as scrap, leaving entire communities in total darkness.
Akpan urged the government to urgently assess the situation to facilitate the connection of installed but dormant electricity transformers and the restoration of vandalized power infrastructure in affected local government areas.
He noted that several communities in the state have transformers that were installed several months ago but are yet to be energized, while others have functional transformers that have been vandalized and abandoned without repair, thereby prolonging the suffering of residents.
He also stressed the need for increased community engagement and sensitization on the importance of protecting electricity infrastructure from vandalism, saying that security of public assets cannot be left to government alone.
The security expert explained that when community members are properly sensitised on the economic and social benefits of electricity infrastructure, they will be more committed to its protection and will readily volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of vandals.
He further called on traditional rulers, youth leaders, village heads and community-based organisations to take ownership of electricity facilities in their domains by setting up local surveillance groups to monitor power installations.
Akpan also advised the state government to collaborate with security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which has the statutory mandate to protect critical national assets, to intensify patrols and enforce stiffer sanctions against those apprehended for vandalism.
He added that government should explore the installation of technology-driven monitoring systems and community reporting channels that will enable residents to report suspicious movements around electricity installations in real time.
He warned that if the menace is not urgently addressed, it will continue to frustrate the state’s industrialization drive, affect small and medium scale businesses that depend on public power supply and worsen the living conditions of rural dwellers.
Akpan therefore urged the Akwa Ibom State Government to treat the protection of electricity infrastructure as a priority development issue, noting that sustainable power supply is central to the economic prosperity and general wellbeing of the people of the state.
