Power: Minister Calls for Stricter Anti-vandalism Laws
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has called on the National Assembly to enact stricter legislation to safeguard the country’s power infrastructure from vandalism.
Adelabu made the call during a two-day retreat organised by the Senate Committee on Power.
According to the minister, vandalism should not be treated as a civil offence but a criminal issue, adding that power theft, nonpayment of bills by consumers, and illegal connections are critical factors that need to be tackled.
Adelabu acknowledged that in spite of the challenges, the grid has been stabilised.
“The level of stability on our grid today is not by accident but hard work and expenditure.”
In 2024, TCN installed 61 new transformers by either replacing aged ones or building new ones.
Also in 2025, within the first four months, TCN installed about 13 new transformers, and there are high-capacity transformers ranging from 10 megawatts to 300 megawatts. Put together, they run into hundreds of millions of dollars to install, and these are what our people still go out to vandalise.
“Our towers are toppled by saboteurs and vandals, we have illegal connections, and people tamper with meters,” he added.
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The minister urged appropriate legislation and public vigilance to protect “national assets that belong to every Nigerian.”
“We need more stringent legislation to tackle this problem”, he said.
In a statement by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, the minister also made a case for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in appropriation, saying that the agency does not have enough money to fund its operations.
Adelabu spoke on the persistent crisis threatening to derail progress in the sector, which is chronic underinvestment in distribution infrastructure.
He revealed glaring disparities in distribution companies’ (DisCos’) performance, with aging networks, rampant electricity theft, and poor investment deepening reliance on unsustainable subsidies and leaving millions in darkness.
He noted that despite tariff adjustments that boosted market liquidity by 70 per cent—raising the sector’s revenue from N1 trillion in 2023 to N1.7 trillion in 2024—the distribution segment remains the weakest link.
“In the fourth quarter of 2024, DisCos in the North remitted just N124.4 billion (30 per cent) of their N408.86 billion invoice, with Abuja DisCo accounting for 85 per cent of northern payments.
“Southern DisCos fared slightly better, remitting N254.6 billion (67 per cent), though 70 per cent of this came from Lagos DisCos alone.
“These discrepancies are due largely to crumbling infrastructure outside economic hubs, where underinvestment has left networks dilapidated.”
