[NIGERIA] Borno Blackout: Minister Orders Immediate Reconnection
Following the lingering blackout in Born State, the Minister of State for Power Mohammed Wakil has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Borno to b...
http://www.africaeagle.com/2015/01/nigeria-borno-blackout-minister-orders.html?m=0
Following the lingering blackout in Born State, the Minister of State for Power Mohammed Wakil has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Borno to be reconnected to the national grid.
Wakil also disbanded the Technical Committee that was set up by the ministry of power under his chairmanship to oversee the protracted reconnection efforts.
The Minister further directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to speed up work on the 330/132/33Kva sub station in Damaturu which, when completed, will improve the quality of power supply to Borno and Yobe states stressing that Borno should have three sources of power supply from the national grid.
Following the meeting with security and intelligence personnel on the blackout crisis resulting in a high level review of the situation on the ground, the minister decided to take direct charge of the reconnection efforts.
According to the Minister, Borno people are no longer ready to take any further excuses for the continous blacks out even as he warned stakeholders to carry out his directives or face sanctions.
“You have 48 hours to restore electricity back to Maiduguri, I am taking over directly in terms of monitoring and ensuring compliance,” he said.
He added that at the end of the exercise, Borno State would have three sources of power namely, the 132KV Gombe-Biu-Damboa-Maiduguri line, the 330kv new sub station on Damboa road in Maiduguri and the Damaturu 330/132/33kv which should be completed as quickly as possible.
Borno has had issued with persistent power outages in the recent past on account of the armed conflict between the Boko Haram and federal troops.
Since 2005 the state has been a centre of fierce fighting between the government security forces and the insurgents. In September 2014, military authorities and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reached an agreement for the provision of security cover to TCN field engineers working on the reconnection of Borno state to the national grid but these efforts had remained largely unsuccessful.
Source: The Tide
Wakil also disbanded the Technical Committee that was set up by the ministry of power under his chairmanship to oversee the protracted reconnection efforts.
The Minister further directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to speed up work on the 330/132/33Kva sub station in Damaturu which, when completed, will improve the quality of power supply to Borno and Yobe states stressing that Borno should have three sources of power supply from the national grid.
Following the meeting with security and intelligence personnel on the blackout crisis resulting in a high level review of the situation on the ground, the minister decided to take direct charge of the reconnection efforts.
According to the Minister, Borno people are no longer ready to take any further excuses for the continous blacks out even as he warned stakeholders to carry out his directives or face sanctions.
“You have 48 hours to restore electricity back to Maiduguri, I am taking over directly in terms of monitoring and ensuring compliance,” he said.
He added that at the end of the exercise, Borno State would have three sources of power namely, the 132KV Gombe-Biu-Damboa-Maiduguri line, the 330kv new sub station on Damboa road in Maiduguri and the Damaturu 330/132/33kv which should be completed as quickly as possible.
Borno has had issued with persistent power outages in the recent past on account of the armed conflict between the Boko Haram and federal troops.
Since 2005 the state has been a centre of fierce fighting between the government security forces and the insurgents. In September 2014, military authorities and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reached an agreement for the provision of security cover to TCN field engineers working on the reconnection of Borno state to the national grid but these efforts had remained largely unsuccessful.
Source: The Tide
