There was a blackout at the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Sunday, May 1, 2022, as some hoodlums vandalised the power network in the Central Business District (CBD) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The vandalism also affected the Federal Ministry of Finance, and other government parastatals, such that they all experienced blackout.
However, in a notice to the residents of FCT, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) stated that the vandalism affected almost all the areas in the region.
The notice read: “Please be informed that we have experienced cases of serious vandalism around our network specifically in the Central Business District and around the Life camp Round-about Abuja, causing a power outage in these areas and environs.
“For the vandalism around the Central Business District, the areas affected are CBN, NERC (Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission), Nicon Luxury hotels, Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters, Sahad Stores, Women Development Centre, Army headquarters, and Army Defence College.
“For the vandalism at the Lifecamp Round-about, the areas affected are Bella View 1, 2 and 3 Estates, Police Estate and Enoch Estate.
“We sincerely regret any inconveniences and appeal for understanding,” the company stated in the notice which was signed by its management.”
Meanwhile, to address the frequent power outages often experienced in the country, Prof. Barth Nnaji, a former Minister of Power, claims that Nigeria requires approximately 100,000 megawatts of power to address the country’s continuous electrical crisis.
“Nigeria is a country of more than 200 million people and needs more than 100,000 megawatts of power and infrastructure.
“We are installing meters to bridge the disagreement gap between customers and suppliers of electricity.
“I support unbundling of power sector where states will be allowed to own and manage their own power supply,” he said.
