Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the country’s minister of power, has blamed the blackout in the country’s north on vandalism and sabotage of the ministry’s equipment rather than a collapsed grid.
Speaking in the National Assembly in Abuja, the Minister addressed the Senate Committee on Power.
According to a statement from his Special Adviser, Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, the minister informed the parliamentarians that immediate action is needed to prevent terrorists and bandits from destroying the country’s resources.
Additionally, he stated that significant efforts are underway to bring electricity back to the north, with a 72-hour turnaround time.
In order to guarantee that things return to normal, he further told the legislators that the ministry is coordinating with the National Security Adviser and other security organizations.
“What we are seeing is regrettable but concerning, especially in light of the northern power situation. I also want to let you know that this is just sabotage and vandalism and has nothing to do with grid collapse.
What can we do after terrorists and bandits destroyed the transmission line that supplies electricity to the north? This identical line, which carries electricity from Shiroro to Mando and Kaduna, was vandalized once before, and we repaired it without anyone noticing. However, it is very awful this time.
We requested assistance from the NSA and other security agencies to repair the line because the bandits also threatened our contractors, who were responsible for fixing it.
“We have investigated an alternate route, the Bauchi route, which was vandalized anyhow, but it is easier for us to handle, so we can say that there will be electricity supply back to the north in two to three days,” the minister stated.
He also informed the senators that in order for Nigeria to overcome its existing problems, such the constant grid outages, the country needs to make significant investments in the electricity sector.
As an alternative to the grid, he added, the ministry is investing in solar energy.
Beyond all we’ve said so far, we must consider other power source options, and solar energy is currently the most widely accepted. Sunlight is a blessing in all 20 northern states. Since solar energy only requires ten hours of sunlight to be effective, it is therefore feasible. We are investigating this and moving forward with it. In all 20 northern states, we have investors on the ground working on 100 MW of power. We’re trying to make this a reality,” he stated.
The ministry is aiming to decentralize the grid system so that every state in the nation has its own grid, Adelabu also told the MPs.
“A centralized grid is no longer the norm in the world. The grid is being regionalized. A memo has been forwarded to the president for his approval, which is one way to do this. Establishing the so-called “Super Grid” as a backup system and alternate method of distributing electricity throughout the nation will be part of it. Since there will be two or three optional channels to send power, this will solve the problem we are currently facing.
By employing thousands of kilometers of transmission lines to transport electricity to other areas, states will be able to establish their own grid and prevent energy from being concentrated in one area.
“We can state that 100% of our hydro power is in North Central, with the remaining 80% being in Niger State, specifically in Shiroro, Jebba, Kainji, and Zungeru. As you can see, 80 percent of the gas-fired plants are found in the Niger Delta, which includes Port Harcourt, Cross Rivers, Edo, Delta, and a handful in Ogun State, including Omotosho and Olorunsogo.
Consider how far the transmission lines would be to transport electricity from the Niger Delta to other regions of the nation.
“We want to make sure that the system is regionalized so that each state has its own electricity supply. You won’t have to transfer power from Niger State to Oyo or from the Niger Delta to Maiduguri. In this scenario, states will have a backup in case the national grid experiences issues. We are considering this as a medium-term answer, but solar electricity is the best option, the minister stated.
The Minister told the parliamentarians that most of the time, there was disruption rather than a collapse in the grid.
He claimed that this occurs everywhere in the world and that the biggest problem is figuring out how to cope with it.
We are accustomed to grid disruptions, and grid failures have happened before. A grid may collapse for a thousand different causes, but in order to manage and control it, we need automation. We are not automated in our frequency regulation.
“We are merely installing it with the World Bank’s assistance.
We experienced a complete grid failure on October 14, 2024, but it was back up in two to three hours. However, the events of Saturday, October 19, 2024, were not a breakdown of the grid. The grid has to be turned off in order to fix one of our transformers in Jebba that caught fire. The transformer in question is 47 years old. It was put in place during FESTAC 77 in 1977.
“The truth must be communicated to Nigerians.” Our grid is more than 50 years old and has not received routine maintenance. These are the problems and difficulties that we are facing. Our infrastructures are ancient, deteriorated, and frequently vandalized. Grid disruptions are nearly certain until the entire network is completely restored and modernized, he stated.
He credited President Tinubu’s Presidential Power Initiative for the comparatively stable power industry.
