By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
As part of a series of strategic stakeholder engagements this month, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Kaduna Region, has engaged traditional leaders (non-sovereign monarchs) in a community sensitisation campaign against vandalism and encroachment on transmission line Right-of-Way (RoW).
This was disclosed in a statement issued Tuesday by Ndidi Mbah
General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN.
The General Manager (Transmission), Kaduna Region, Engr Nasir Mansur Fada, led the delegation on sensitisation visits to key locations, including the palaces of prominent traditional leaders in the Mando and Rigasa communities.
The visits were aimed at strengthening collaboration with host communities and addressing the growing safety risks associated with illegal developments beneath high-tension transmission lines.
At the sensitisation meetings, first with the Sarkin Mando, Alhaji Sani Musa, and subsequently with the District Head of Rigasa Community, Arch. Aminu Mohammed Idris, Engr Fada, among others.
Engr Fada raised serious concerns about the increasing rate of encroachment on transmission corridors, emphasising that the construction of houses, shops, and other structures directly beneath high-tension lines exposes residents to significant health and safety hazards, including the risk of electrocution.
He cautioned that individuals who deliberately encroach on designated Right-of-Way (RoW) areas do so at their own risk, stressing that TCN would not be liable for compensation in cases of electrical accidents, which may be fatal in the event of a line cut.
Engr Fada further underscored the broader implications of vandalism and Right-of-Way (RoW) violations, noting that such actions not only endanger lives but also undermine the stability and reliability of bulk electricity supply across the region and the nation at large.