Hajia Mariam Ahmed, the Kwara Commissioner for Energy, on Tuesday in Ilorin warned members of the public who indulged in electric cable theft or vandalism to desist.
The Commissioner warned in her office while hosting the people of Ilupeju-Lawal community, Madi in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the State, who were on a courtesy visit.
She said government would henceforth go tougher with the crime-minded individuals, whom she described as saboteurs of the spirited efforts of the state government at making the basic amenities accessible to the citizens.
Ahmed also announced the ministry’s resolve to dispatch officials for proper supervision of transformers, poles and other electrical components in the public space, adding that those thieves and vandals were too wicked to feel the agony they inflicted on the innocent residents.
“We will henceforth go after the unpatriotic people and halt the ugly practice by ensuring a proper monitoring of those transformers, poles and other government’s properties. Enough of all this sabotage,” the Commissioner said.
She called on residents of the state to also assist by being watchful and willing to report to the law enforcement agencies any suspicious movement around locations of the electricity transformers in their communities.
Ahmed commended the delegation for the visit and promised to take steps on their request, saying their act of procuring the transformer independently was highly commendable and symbolic of patriotism.
Earlier, Mr. Oyebisi Tunde, the Chairman of the community, lauded the commitment of the present administration in many key areas, especially infrastructure development, describing Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as a catalyst of change.
He requested the government to assist them in connecting the community to the grid and provide them with some electrical materials, to give them access to uninterrupted power supply.
Tunde added that the community had already purchased a transformer and dozens of poles, to complement the state government’s efforts.
