Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has expressed worry over encroachment on its Right of Way (RoW) by residents across the country and warned of dangers associated with the trend.
  
TCN National Chairman on Eradication of Encroachment of the Right of Way, Kangeh Anengeh, disclosed this when he led his committee members to visit the Emir of Minna, Dr Umar Bahago, in his palace, yesterday.
  
The chairman told the monarch that they were in his domain to collaborate with the traditional institution and critical stakeholders to fashion out ways to sensitise the people, especially locals who had already encroached on the RoW.
  
Noting that his committee toured many parts of the country and observed that Nigerians encroach the TCN high-tension transmission lines, he urged those culpable to vacate to avoid health hazards such as cancer and stillbirth, as well as allow the staff access to the TCN network.
  
Anengeh, who is also the General Manager, Health Safety Environment, TCN, disclosed that the committee “is only appealing,” adding that if the response from the people was bad, it would have no choice but to liaise with law enforcement agencies to sanction the offenders.
  
He added: “By law, nobody has the right to build near the TCN network for about 25 metres right and left. The health implications are enormous. I am, therefore, appealing to Nigerians to relocate in their best interest.”
  
In his remarks, the Emir, who appreciated the visitors, pointed out that the Emirate would make necessary arrangements to assist the committee achieve the desired objectives.
  
The committee paid a similar visit to the state police command, as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) command, where it sought collaboration with the security agencies to tackle RoW encroachment and protect the installations from vandals.
  
In their separate remarks, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Niger State, Shawulu Dan Mamman; and the state commandant, NSCDC, Joachim Okafor, represented by his deputy, Abdulhameed Kabara, promised to be readily available to assist the committee in any way they could to ensure that TCN field workers were given the enabling environment to carry out repairs on the network when necessary.