The committee is expected to develop a coordinated response to attacks on generation, transmission and distribution assets, with a focus on enforcing existing laws, deploying technology to protect critical infrastructure and preventing further incidents through public sensitisation.
The move comes amid the persistent threat posed by vandals to Nigeria’s fragile electricity network.
In a statement announcing the committee’s formation on Friday, the Ministry of Power said the initiative was part of continuing efforts to guarantee stable and reliable electricity supply to households, businesses and industries.
The committee was constituted in response to attacks on electricity assets across the value chain, which disrupt supply, increase repair costs and undermine investments required to improve the sector.
The statement read, “As part of continuing efforts to guarantee stable and reliable electricity supply for households, businesses and industry, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has convened a ministerial committee on the prevention of vandalism of power infrastructure. The committee brings together security and power sector stakeholders and is tasked with ending attacks on assets across the electricity value chain.
“The committee was constituted in response to attacks on generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, which disrupt supply to consumers, increase repair costs and erode the investment on which the sector depends. Its mandate also includes defining the contribution each institution will make toward a lasting solution.”
The ministry said the committee would also define the specific responsibilities of each participating institution to ensure that efforts to protect power infrastructure were coordinated and sustained.
The inaugural meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa; directors from the Office of the National Security Adviser; the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power; and directors from the ministry and relevant agencies.
The committee’s work will be aligned with the critical infrastructure unit of the Office of the National Security Adviser, reinforcing the government’s position that protecting electricity assets is a national security priority.
At the meeting, participants proposed measures to prevent vandalism and outlined the responsibilities of their respective offices and agencies.
They resolved to enforce existing laws against vandalism, ensure that offenders were prosecuted, deploy technology to protect national assets and intensify sensitisation and advocacy campaigns to discourage attacks before they occur.
The participants also pledged to work together to bring the menace to an end.
The committee is scheduled to reconvene next week to review progress and assess the implementation of the proposed measures.
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