The NEWS (Monrovia)
29 April 2008
Monrovia — Despite efforts by the Liberian government to provide electricity to its people through the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), there are reports that the lighting fixtures of the corporation has been tampered with by unknown persons.
According to a release from the LEC, some unscrupulous individuals are in the constant habit of cutting conductors, feeders and lighting fixtures, thereby plunging the city into darkness intermittently at various points.
The corporation named the Johnson Street Bridge where unscrupulous persons looted wires and damaged the aluminum poles.
As a result of the frequent theft on the Johnson Street Bridge, the LEC said it recently removed damaged aluminum poles and replaced them with high and relatively new galvanized poles placing them in full public view to deter criminals.
The corporation indicated that following the first bridge lighting exercise under the Emergency Power Program (EPP), on five different occasions, the bridge lighting facility had been tampered with in the form of feeder conductors being cut off and taken away or completely removed.
In early December 2006, the LEC Management expended the amount of US$1,125.00 to purchase the required electrical materials and accessories to implement street lighting replacement on the Gabriel Tucker Bridge to enhance night time security for pedestrians and motorists using the bridge.
The LEC release said on each occasion, the lighting system was vandalized, and the LEC had to expend additional funds ranging between US$555.00 and US$1000.00 as replacement cost for stolen items.
It also disclosed that similar theft in February 2007 cost the LEC US$860.00 to replace cut and removed street lights feeders.
According to the LEC, not only are these criminals endangering the security of night time users of the bridge, but these criminals also have extended their nefarious activities to the Broad Street Beautification Project.
The electricity supply was restored when LEC undertook the installation of Christmas lighting and the rehabilitation of street lighting using the overhead feeders to avert the frequent theft of electrical materials.
"The ongoing Kru Town distribution expansion work under the EPP-II is not being spared either, as these unscrupulous individuals are taking away grounding conductors on the new wooden poles being set around Monrovia by the contractor of the project. This situation has led to the contractor halting further installation of grounding conductors on the new poles pending a remedy," the LEC release said.
However, LEC says it would not relent in its efforts to create public awareness and prosecute those found tampering with LEC facilities.
The corporation is appealing to the government and the national security apparatus to take prompt and immediate action to curtail the activities of these unscrupulous individuals stealing the corporation's facilities, adding that "this ugly act has the propensity to undermine efforts being made by the government and the international community to revitalize the electricity sector of the nation."
The management called on the general public to be vigilant and report anybody found in the act of tampering or vandalizing the corporation's facilities to the nearest security agency.
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