News
Nigeria Spends ₦29.3 Billion Fixing Vandalized Power Towers
The Nigerian Federal Government has spent a staggering ₦29.3 billion to repair 266 damaged electricity towers across the country, a financial strain caused by ongoing vandalism of critical infrastructure.
Each tower repair cost roughly ₦110 million, a figure that highlights both the scale of the destruction and the expense involved in keeping Nigeria’s power grid functional.
This update was posted by the National Grid on their X account, bringing renewed attention to the impact of vandalism on power availability nationwide.
Vandalism of these towers, a core component of Nigeria’s electricity transmission system, has been an ongoing issue, resulting in frequent power outages that ripple across industries, homes, and businesses.
The losses are significant—Nigeria loses approximately $26 billion every year due to power failures, which are often worsened by damaged infrastructure and frequent grid disruptions.
Electricity towers, or pylons, are essential for transporting high-voltage electricity across long distances.
When they’re compromised, the effects are immediate: electricity distribution networks are forced to shut down lines, leading to blackouts in cities and towns that rely on the damaged towers.
Vandals target these towers for various reasons, including the valuable materials used in their construction, which they then sell on the black market.
The costs go beyond just replacement materials; they include labour, transport, and securing the areas affected, making each repair expensive and time-consuming.
Efforts by the Federal Government and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to curb these incidents have included increasing security around infrastructure and raising public awareness about the damage caused by vandalism.
Yet, challenges persist. Some of these towers are located in remote, less secure regions where monitoring and security are difficult to enforce, making them vulnerable to theft and destruction.
The TCN is responsible for managing, maintaining, and expanding the national grid infrastructure, including these towers, which serve as the backbone of Nigeria’s electricity transmission.
In the bigger picture, vandalism not only affects electricity availability but also weakens Nigeria’s industrial growth.
Frequent power interruptions have forced many businesses to rely on costly backup power, pushing operational costs higher.
This heavy reliance on generators and other alternatives only adds to the financial burden of operating in a country where power stability remains a major concern.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has paid tribute to late Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs, recalling his contributions to the creative industry and his impact on Nigeria’s cultural identity.
In his tribute, Tinubu described Jacobs as a giant of the Nigerian creative industry and said “He was a giant of the Nigerian creative industry. His passing is a great loss to Nigeria, the African film industry and the global community of lovers of the performing arts. His remarkable body of work will continue to speak to generations yet unborn.
“The nation recognises the enormous contributions of Nigeria’s creative practitioners to the country’s cultural identity, global image and economic development. Olu Jacobs played a big role in creating this identity.”
Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and consumer products in Nigeria.
Adeyanju also called for the removal of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, as well as the heads of other regulatory agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
“Nigerians are being exposed to dangerous products daily, from fake and substandard medicines to unsafe consumer goods, with reports of drugs being sold wholesale in the open under the hot sun. No responsible government should expose its citizens to such risks and expect mortality rates not to rise.”
Adeyanju also called out NAFDAC over what he described as failures in regulating the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products in the country.
It can be noted that various counterfeit products continue to circulate in Nigerian markets, while NAFDAC has also reported seizures and destruction of counterfeit, expired and substandard products.
Lagosians have lamented heavy traffic caused by ongoing construction work at Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Federal Government announced that repairs on the damaged expansion joints at Kara Bridge would begin on September 8, 2026. The project, initially scheduled to begin in August, was delayed to allow further traffic management planning due to concerns over its impact on motorists.
Since work began, traffic around the Kara area has become heavy, with Lagosians sharing updates on social media about spending two hours or more on the road.
Some commuters say the delays have made their 9-to-5 routines difficult, with several hours spent travelling to and from work.
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