Energy: 35 % generation capacity lost to vandalism, says Nebo

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said on Monday in Abuja that the country had lost about 35 per cent of its capacity to generate electricity to vandalism resulting in damages to power installations.
“Currently, we have lost about 35 per cent of our capacity to generate power simply because of vandalism,’’ he said at the opening of a two-day Stakeholders Forum on “Protection of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure. Nebo equated  vandalism of national assets to declaration of war on the country. I have always considered vandalism of national assets and infrastructure as a moral equivalent of war, it is as if vandals are declaring war against Nigeria.
“We are bleeding from the effects; one way or the other as the economy bleeds as result of vandalism of critical assets and infrastructure, all of us suffer. When the power sector lose in that fraction, virtually all the other sectors are affected; when transmission sub-stations are hit, our capacity to transmit power that is actually generated falls below expectation,’’ he said. The minister, who said that gas supply was the most affected by vandalism, called for concerted efforts to check the act. He said that as a result of such damages, the economy suffered a lot with the manufacturing and industrial sector suffering untold hardship and degradation.
“The small- and medium-scale enterprises encounter all kinds of problems, including stunted growth,’’ he said. In his contribution, Mr Andrew Yakubu, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, said assets and infrastructure in the oil and gas sector had suffered more from sustained vandalism than any other sector in the country. I want to observe that infrastructure and assets in the oil and gas sector have suffered vandalism not only more but longer than other sectors in the country. The oil and gas industry remain the fulcrum of Nigeria’s economy and for many years, has sustained large scale social and economic development programmes for the benefit of all Nigerians. Any threat to the sector is a threat to us all and it must not be taken lightly or allowed to persist,’’ he said. Yakubu commended President Goodluck Jonathan for intervening to check vandalism in the sector, saying that the intervention had resulted in the boosting of oil and gas production.
“Already, the president intervention in recent months is already yielding positive result in the recovery of lost oil and gas production. As a major direct beneficiary of this unique and strategic conference, we wish to thank the President for his resolve to address vandalism and to ensure the protection of assets,’’ he said. He urged the forum to devise a comprehensive strategy that would include political approach, use of relevant technology and community engagement to protect critical assets across the country.