Residents around tower lines areas of Edo state have been urged to stop Vandalising, excavating, and building under Tower lines as they are the major factors responsible for System Collapse of the National Grid.
General Manager, Transmission Company of Nigeria,TCN, Benin Region, Engineer Charles Uwamadi stated this at a sensitization Campaign held in Umelu Community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo state .
Engineer Uwamadi who identified Vandalising, excavating and building under Tower lines as major factors responsible for System Collapse of the national grid appealed to residents around the tower lines area of Edo state to help them safeguard power infrastructures in the area.
” Greater number of times we have system collapse is as a result of Vandalism, as I mentioned earlier, when one side of the line is Vandalise and collapse, definitely the line will be out, and some times the cost of Vandalising it, the tower will kick and then the line will go, it vibrate beyond reasonable value and then it will tripped and when it tripped, it is not only tripping in Benin, the entire length of that line, like this Benin -Onitsha line which is one hundred and thirty one kilometers anything along that line and why it is supplying will go, and if it goes and a similar thing happens or there’s another fault within the same network , definitely it will affect the stability of the system and there will be a system collapse, so you see that Vandalising is directly proportional to the number of system collapse .
Engineer Uwamadi who stressed that the community was housing the major Tower line of one hundred and thirty one kilometers that begins from Edo State down to Onitsha in Anambra State, appealed to the residents to stop excavation, Vandalism and building under Tower lines.
” Residing under the Towers , you are exposing your self to alot of risks, health hazards that is associated with radiation going around the towers, the magnitude on this three thirty is the highest on our network, para venture the lines snaps and dropped, you cannot remedy it , human beings cannot sustained it,even structures cannot be sustained under this. “
On his part, Edo state Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Mr Gbenga Agun who was represented by the Command Head of Protection of Critical National Assets, Sule Mohammed appealed for continued collaboration in safeguarding the Tower lines in their domain.
“It’s very important to understand that any presence of Government facilities in your place,you should deploy a measure to secure it. Your collaboration will be very important so that what we are enjoying now, we Will continue to enjoy it. This TCN you see here, this is the regional output, it’s not stopping here, is serving other people so when you tamper with it, all those people will be in trouble so continue to make this TCN save don’t vandalise any cables weather telecommunications, transmission .”
A residents of the community appreciated TCN for the sensitization Campaign and called on them to help in the maintenance of the tower lines inorder to curtail security challenges in the area.
“This our tower line is not always maintained, you people needs to be maintaining the tower line because of all this kidnappers and Bokoharam, this is where they used to pass , so I want to advise at least four times in a year, you people should always maintain the tower line”.
High point of the event was the distribution of Flyers to residents on the inherent dangers of Vandalising, excavating and building on tower lines with questions and answers sessions between Some TCN Benin Management and residents of Umelu Community.
By Fortune Oyem, Edo
