Persistent theft of electricity cables and vandalism of power infrastructure have left several communities in Munjibir, Makoda and Dambatta Local Government Areas of Kano State without electricity for more than 10 years.
The Director-General of the Research and Documentation Directorate (RDD) in the Kano State Government, Dr Nana Asma’u Jibrin, disclosed this during an assessment tour of vandalised electricity transmission corridors in the affected areas.
Jibrin, who was represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Malam Bello Garba, said the exercise aimed to identify the causes of recurring vandalism and assess its impact on residents.
The assessment, he said, covered major power line routes linking Munjibir and Kunya towns, Kwanar Dumawa and Kore towns, as well as Wailari town and environs, among others.
He said the team would interact with stakeholders to gather firsthand information on the extent of the damage and its impact on socio-economic activities in the affected communities.
The director expressed optimism that recommendations from the assessment would support government efforts to curb infrastructure vandalism and restore sustainable electricity supply.
The Chairman of Makoda Local Government, Lawan Jibga, lamented that repeated theft of electrical cables and destruction of power facilities had denied many communities access to electricity for years.
He said the prolonged blackout had adversely affected businesses, healthcare delivery, education and other socio-economic activities.
According to him, the situation had forced the council to explore alternative sources of electricity for residents.
Jibga revealed that the council had installed solar-powered systems in some of the worst-affected communities to improve access to electricity and support economic activities.
He called for urgent government intervention to restore power supply and safeguard public infrastructure from further vandalism.
