TCN, others get 48 hours ultimatum to restore power to Borno

THE Federal Government has issued a 48 hour ultimatum to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and all the relevant officials to reconnect Borno residents to the national grid.

Past failures to reconnect residents of the state to public electricity severally been blamed on sabotage and insurgency. This is despite an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Power and the military for protection to officials of the power utilities.

Monday, government disbanded the Technical Committee on Reconnection of Borno State and issued a forty eight hour ultimatum for reconnecting the state to national grid.

Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, who chairs the new resolve to reconnect Borno, has  directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria to speed up work on the 330/132/33 kv sub station in Damaturu. When completed, the substation is expected to improve the quality of supply to  Borno and Yobe.

Wakil said in Abuja Monday: “Borno should have three sources of power supply from the national grid”

He stressed the need for Maiduguri residents to be reconnected irrespective of the challenges facing the state. He said the decision was taken after a high level review of the situation on ground with security and intelligence personnel.

Wakil said Borno people were no longer ready to take further excuses for the continuous black-out, warning that sanction will be applied if his directive on reconnection is not effected.

He told the officials: “You have 48 hours to restore electricity back to Maiduguri. I am taken over directly in term of monitoring and ensuring compliance. We must deploy on all fronts to restore light. Enough is enough.”

He added: ” Borno State will then get three sources of power namely the 132 kv Gombe – Biu – Damboa – Maiduguri line, the 330 kv new substation on Damboa road in Maiduguri and the Damaturu 330/132/33kv which should be completed as quickly as possible. The era of only one line connecting the state to national grid is over. We must ensure at least three lines of connection to prevent future sabotage and vandalism.”