The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced on Friday that the federal government has established a committee to investigate the sabotage behind the fire outbreak at the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) power transmission station in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State.
He also issued a stern warning, stating that any staff of the company found involved in this act would not be spared.
The minister made this announcement during his visit to the Transmission Company of Nigeria National Control Centre in Osogbo.
He strongly emphasised that sabotage against national assets is a threat to national security and emphasised ongoing efforts to bolster security to prevent future attacks.
“Efforts are ongoing to strengthen security to forestall future attacks,” the minister stated.
“We have written to the National Security Adviser to strengthen our security around our establishments across the country so that what happened in Kebbi will not repeat itself elsewhere.
I want to assure you that going forward, we are not going to experience such a breakdown in our national grid.”
“It brings us to the protection of these assets. These are national assets, and they are precious assets to all of us.
Nothing must happen to them because if you destroy these assets, it is an act of economic sabotage.”
“We should see ourselves as defenders of our national assets. Once anything happens here, it affects every Nigerian and every household.
If we tamper with the National Grid, the entire nation goes into a blackout, and it is unfair to everybody.”
“The fire broke out in Kebbi; people are saying it’s sabotage. I’m not going to conclude it’s sabotage, but it appears to be. How can three transformers catch fire simultaneously?”
“We have set up a high-level investigation panel to determine what led to that fire outbreak, and I can assure you that if any of our staff is found wanting, such staff will face the wrath of the law.”
“It is also a threat to national security, and this needs to be addressed legislatively. Regardless of the circumstances, nothing should drive us to deliberately destroy these assets.”
“I’m not against industrial action; it is part of labour relations.
However, during these actions, we must be conscious of our collective assets. Industrial actions will be resolved, whether we like it or not, but in the course of the action, what have we destroyed?”
“Vandalising assets in the control centre is an economic crime that must be treated as such. We need to talk to ourselves.”
“It was regrettable that during the two-day warning strike, I learned that the control centre was attacked. It is not the best for us as a country. These are things that baffle our international partners.”
“The fire broke out in Kebbi; people are saying it’s sabotage. I’m not going to conclude it’s sabotage, but it appears to be. How can three transformers catch fire simultaneously?”
While urging the company’s workers to refrain from vandalising equipment during industrial actions, he appealed to them to always act as protectors of the company’s assets.
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