The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has urged the National Assembly to enact strict legislation to protect Nigeria’s power infrastructure from vandalism and sabotage.

This is contained in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by the Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations to the Minister, Bolaji Tunji.

The minister made the call during a two-day retreat organised by the Senate Committee on Power in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

Mr Adelabu emphasised the need for enhanced legal measures, noting that vandalism and electricity theft were major threats to the power sector and should be treated as criminal offences rather than civil matters.

He said, “We need more stringent legislation to tackle this problem. Power theft, non-payment of bills, and illegal connections are all critical issues that undermine the integrity of our energy system.’’

He pointed out that despite the challenges, the national grid had been stabilised, with no reported collapse since the beginning of the year.

He stated that the Transmission Company of Nigeria installed 61 transformers in 2024 and an additional 13 in the first four months of 2025, ranging from 10 to 300 megawatts in capacity.

“These installations cost hundreds of millions of dollars, yet they continue to be vandalised,” he added.

Mr Adelabu called for greater public vigilance and legislative backing to protect national assets.

He also appealed for budgetary allocation to TCN, stressing that the agency currently operated solely on internally generated revenue, which was insufficient to maintain and expand critical infrastructure.

On the distribution segment, the minister lamented that underperformance by electricity distribution companies (DisCos) was derailing sector-wide progress.

He criticised their failure to invest in infrastructure and meet performance benchmarks, noting that most had defaulted on initial commitments made during the 2013 privatisation process.

“Many DisCos took loans to acquire assets but failed to reinvest in infrastructure. They frustrate gains made in generation and transmission,” Mr Adelabu said.

He revealed that while market liquidity rose by 70 per cent, from N1 trillion in 2023 to N1.7 trillion in 2024, DisCos remained the weakest link.

He cited poor remittance rates, especially in the North, where only N124.4 billion (30 per cent) of N408.86 billion was paid in Q4 2024.

He said, “In contrast, Lagos-based DisCos accounted for 70 per cent of Southern region payments. To address the metering gap, the government launched a N700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), with support from the World Bank. About 75,000 metres were deployed in April 2024, with 200,000 more expected in May. The goal is to install 4.3 million meters by 2025.’’

Mr Adelabu also warned that the ₦4 trillion subsidy backlog owed to generation companies, including ₦1.94 trillion for 2024, was unsustainable, with monthly shortfalls hitting ₦200 billion.

He noted, “Without urgent capital injection into distribution networks, gains in generation and transmission will not translate to reliable electricity for households.’’

He announced plans to restructure underperforming DisCos, enforce compliance with performance targets, attract private investment in the grid, and regionalise the transmission network to reduce system-wide risks.

Mr Adelabu stated that to improve power supply in the North, the government was working to revive the 215 MW Kaduna Thermal Plant, which he noted was 87 per cent completed but had been abandoned for five years.

He also noted that efforts were underway to restore and complete the facility.

Additionally, he said the government was developing the 1,000 MW Makurdi Hydropower Project and facilitating the concession of the 10 MW Katsina Wind Farm through public-private partnerships to boost regional energy capacity.

(NAN)