Olufunke Aladejare
The Ekiti State Government has called on residents of the State to be vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies to protect public infrastructure from vandalism and theft.
This came following an alarm raised by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over alleged vandalism of its electricity network.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the State Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun noted that the reported alarming rise in network vandalism persistently lead to disruption in power supply in the State and attendant significant financial losses.
Stressing that the acts of vandalism pose a substantial threat to the economic well-being of residents of the State, Olatunbosun emphasized the importance of people in each community taking ownership of public properties in their areas in their own interest.
According to him, anyone caught stealing or vandalizing any public property would be prosecuted in accordance with extant laws and punished accordingly if found guilty. Reiterating the commitment of the State Government to a rapid development of infrastructures in the State with the aim of boosting socioeconomic status of the people, Olatunbosun warned perpetrators to desist from vandalizing public properties, stressing that apart from the punishment awaiting them when apprehended, it is important to note the ripple effect of their malicious acts on individuals and communities that are thrown into darkness.
He noted that several communities that had hitherto been in darkness for decades were recently connected to the National grid by the present administration as part of the ongoing transformation of the power sector in the State, adding that the State Government also launched the Independent Power Plant [IPP] in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, in addition to taking over electricity regulation in the State from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in a move aimed at improving electricity supply and reducing electricity bills in the recently decentralized Nigeria’s power sector.
The Commissioner solicited the continued support of all stakeholders for efforts of Government to make life easier for them, stressing the need for all and sundry to contribute their quota to the development process towards achieving the desired goals.