We Lost N150m Equipment In Three Months To Vandals – MD KEDCO
The Managing Director, Kano Electricity Distribution Company, KEDCO, Dr. Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna on Thursday said the company lost equipments worth over N150 million in three months to activities of vandals and vandalism in Kano State.
This he said is totally unacceptable hence the company’s decision to establish a Joint Task Force to oversee and safeguard all it equipments and installations against vandalism.
The Managing Director disclosed this while launching the Joint Task Force which comprises of the Nigeria Police Force, State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for Katsina State on Thursday.
Dr. Gwamna however employed the task force team to arrest and prosecute all persons found vandalising it installations.
According to him, “Vandalism has always been a serious problem and challenge to power distribution in Nigeria.
“I remembered two and the half years ago, what really prompted us to setting up of a Joint Task Force, JTF was within three months we lost equipments worth over N150 million.
“That is totally unacceptable and we felt that we need to do something about it. And that was why we set up the JTF to ensure the hindrance to continuous supply of power to our teeming customers is carteled. “We employ you to safeguard all assets of the company, ensure that all vandals are arrested and prosecuted, to also ensure that illegal connections that deprived genuine customers from getting power supply are prevented.
“I assure you that we will provide all the necessary logistics needed for you to ensure that you perform your task creditably because this is very important by ensuring that issues of vandalism and tempering with our equipment (transformers and cables among others) would be a thing of the past,” Dr. Gwamna stated.
Similarly, the Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp, NSCDC, Katsina State Command, Alhaji Ahmad Alhassan vowed that with the establishment of the joint task force team the issue of vandalism will be a thing of the past saying that it will not leave any stone unturned in carrying out the operation as one of the core mandate of the corp is to safeguard all national assets.
His counterpart, the Katsina State Commissioner of Police, CP Sanusi Buba represented by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Sabon Gari, SP Ibrahim Williams also assured of it readiness to support the operation in order to achieve the set objectives.
On it part, the District Head of Katsina (Magajin Garin Katsina), Alhaji Aminu Abdulmumini represented by the Wakilin Kudu, Alhaji Audu Iliyasu said the emirate has put in place a committee to look after transformer installations, report and arrest vandals and saboteurs. Earlier, the Chief Corporate Service, KEDCO, Salisu Abdulsalam in his welcome address said successes recorded by the joint task force in Kano prompted the company’s decision to replicate it in Katsina adding that same will be extended to Jigawa before the end of the year.
The company which has it jurisdiction as Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states however handed over operational vehicles to the task force team to ensure smooth operation.
