Soldiers take over power stations nationwide

Posted by admin Armed Forces, Headlines Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG & NAOMI MGBAKOR
LAGOS — ARMED soldiers, yesterday, took over most of the nation’s power stations, including Egbin Power Station, as Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, workers threatened to withdraw their services.

This came as the State Security Service, SSS, invited the President and General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, umbrella body for one of two unions in the sector, Comrades Mansur Musa and Joe Ajaero, respectively to Abuja for a chat today.

Meanwhile, a statement, yesterday, by the Power Ministry said soldiers would be deployed any moment from now to join policemen in guarding PHCN facilities across the nation.

Vanguard gathered that at Sapele and some other stations, there were clashes between workers and the armed soldiers.

The military takeover may not be unconnected with the controversy trailing reported physical due diligence being conducted on the power stations and installations by Dangote and 134 other power firms.

However, organised labour in the sector had dismissed the report and declared that there was no due diligence on the power stations.

Some of the power stations and distributions taken over by the soldiers are Sapele; Olorunsogbo in Ondo State; NCC Osogbo; Egbin; transmission stations in Gombe, Bauchi State; Ikeja West in Lagos; Ganmo in Ilorin; Birni Kebbi; Mando in Kaduna; Kano; Ayede in Ibadan and distribution stations in Doka; Gwiwa in Sokoto State; Osogbo in Osun State amongst numerous others.

Soldiers to assist police

The deployment, according to informed sources, is sequel to recent advice by the intelligence community to the Nigerian government to enhance security at “critical infrastructural facilities in Nigeria” as a result of the threat to national security by the extremist Islamic sect popularly known as Boko Haram, which wants the introduction of Sharia law all over Nigeria and regards western education as forbidden.

Troops from the Army, Navy and Air Force are to guard especially PHCN’s transmission and generation facilities, revealed sources in the office of the National security Adviser, General Andrew Aziza (rtd), himself a former Director of Military Intelligence and Chief of Army Staff.

The Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, was on Sunday night informed of the Federal Government’s decision to deploy troops to protect the facilities and the workers, according to his Special Adviser, C. Don Adinuba, who added that “the minister has accordingly informed the PHCN Chief Executive, Engr. Hussein Labo, and the CEOs of the 18 PHCN successor companies, as well as stakeholders like the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies and the National Union of Electricity Employees of the development.”

It was also gathered that soldiers, who have been guarding high profile places in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja like Sheraton and Hilton hotels in the wake of the Boko Haram attacks, are now deployed to big churches and mosques during service.

“It was soldiers,” stated a prominent worshipper who craved anonymity, “who yesterday provided security during yesterday masses at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church at Asokoro, Abuja.”

-Vanguard

-Vanguardwp_posts