Taraba State Commissioner for Energy and Economic Development, Naomi Tanko-Agbu, expressed deep concern on Thursday over the prolonged power outage in the North East region and the federal government’s delayed response in fixing the problem.

Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, and other states in the northeast have been without electricity for more than three weeks following the vandalisation of electricity towers servicing the region, throwing the northeast into total darkness.

Addressing journalists in Jalingo, the commissioner lamented that despite efforts by the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Yola Electricity Distribution Company to rectify the situation, the absence of swift action from the federal authorities remains alarming and worrisome.

Agbu emphasised the critical importance of transmission line towers as lifelines for essential services and called for urgent measures to safeguard the region’s electrical infrastructure.

“The issue at hand is a federal matter, and I want to assure you that we are taking it very seriously. We have been working tirelessly with the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Yola Electricity Distribution Company to address the situation.

“We have contacted the Minister of Power, and we are yet to receive positive feedback regarding the weeks of blackout in Jalingo, the state capital. The prolonged response time is concerning as it shows complete neglect by the Federal Government of Nigeria towards Taraba State and the region, which is unacceptable.

“This region has produced the current Vice President of Nigeria, and I don’t think any region in Nigeria would endure the kind of neglect we are facing.

“The outcry for a robust plan such as the North–East ring circuit, as contained in the proposal of TCN expansion plan to connect the North-East to the South of Nigeria, should be implemented by the Federal Government immediately.

“As some of you may know, other states have received partial reconnection to electricity supply due to the back feeding of the old TCN 132kV line stretching from Jos via Bauchi, Gombe, Savannah to Yola and Jalingo.

“The unfortunate reality is that this 132kV line, intended to back feed Jalingo, was reported to be old, with the peculiarity of being lengthy and lightly loaded as of today, hence posing a high voltage due to the far-reaching effect at the farthest end of the line, in which Taraba state is one of such points.

“Furthermore, the line is pegged at around 40MW – 48MW, which is far below its installed capacity, and YEDC is receiving around 19MW for Adamawa, Yobe, Borno, and Taraba.

She noted that due to technical constraints in the 132kV network and equipment limitations from the TCN end, power is to be supplied to Jalingo as it is right now, the probability of damages to infrastructure and accidents is too high.

Agbu stated that the risk of supplying electricity to Jalingo at the moment far outweighs the benefit to the people, adding that the government’s priority was the restoration of electricity supply to affected areas quickly and safely, as she assured that the contractor has already been mobilized to the site and has commenced reconnection works.

The Commissioner, who did not give a timeline for when the light will be restored, reiterated the commitment of the state government to restoring normalcy and preventing future acts of vandalism and appealed for the patience and support of the people during this trying time.