Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, has pledged that electricity will be restored within three to five days to the 17 northern states affected by blackouts due to recent vandalism of the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line.
Speaking after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday, Adelabu assured the public that swift repairs are underway to address the widespread disruption.
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He explained that the power outage resulted from the vandalization of the major Shiroro-Kaduna line, which supplies electricity to the northern region. To ensure repairs proceed without delay, he said the president had ordered security measures to protect the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) staff and contractors working on-site.
“Mr President has instructed the National Security Adviser (NSA), the chief of defence staff, the chief of Army staff, and Chief of Air Staff to provide the required security for the people that will fix the demolished line,” Adelabu stated, adding that enhanced security would allow the repair team to work confidently and safely.
The minister urged residents in the affected areas to remain patient, promising that “light will be restored” soon and emphasizing the need for collective efforts to protect Nigeria’s national grid from further acts of vandalism.
Adelabu also highlighted a recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval for upgrading the Shiroro-Kaduna line, one of the country’s oldest transmission routes, to boost stability and improve electricity supply across northern states.
To address concerns over billing during the blackout, the minister pledged to meet with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and distribution companies (DISCOs) to ensure that affected customers would not be billed for the period they spent without power.
Explaining recent power grid collapses, Adelabu pointed to Nigeria’s aging infrastructure, citing the recent explosion of a 47-year-old transformer at the Jeba plant. He noted that, before this incident, the grid had been stable for nearly four months, adding, “Let me tell you the truth of the matter: we have old infrastructure. We have a national grid that is more than 50 years old. We have transmission lines that are weak, towers that are falling, and substations and transformers that are old.”
While long-term infrastructure upgrades remain underway, Adelabu assured Nigerians that the Ministry of Power is taking steps to manage the grid and reduce power disruptions as much as possible until a complete overhaul is achieved.
