The Federal Government has acknowledged that the country will continue to experience frequent national grid collapses, citing insecurity and vandalism as major challenges.
Speaking in Abuja while defending the 2025 budget before the Senate Committee on Power chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, explained that persistent insecurity has stalled the repair of a critical transmission line in the Northern region.
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“The Kaduna-Shiroro-Mando line was one of the two major lines transmitting power to the north. The second, the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line, was also vandalized but has been repaired. The Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line, however, remains down due to insecurity. This is why our grid is so fragile, as it relies on a single line, causing unnecessary strain,” he said.
Adelabu revealed that the national grid recorded eight collapses in 2024, contrary to reports of 12. Out of these, five were full collapses, with three caused by generation problems, while two were due to vandalism. “We recognize the issues with full or partial grid collapses, but our focus is on reducing the time it takes to restore power. We are actively collaborating with security agencies to achieve this,” he added.
The minister also highlighted the dilapidated state of the inherited grid, noting that its fragility contributes to frequent disruptions. “We are struggling to manage the grid we inherited, which is very old and dilapidated,” he told the committee.
Despite the challenges, Adelabu disclosed plans to invest N36 billion in the distribution of transformers across the country’s six geopolitical zones to improve power infrastructure. Additionally, the government is set to begin Phase 1 of a major revamp of five sub-stations nationwide.
The minister lamented that over seven million customers are still subjected to estimated billing due to systemic inefficiencies in the sector.
He emphasized the importance of collaboration, especially with the office of the National Security Adviser, to tackle vandalism, which remains a significant issue. “We are focused on reducing the frequency of collapses and ensuring a very short turnaround time to restore the grid,” Adelabu stated.
As part of its strategy, the Federal Government is also working on measures to enhance security around critical power infrastructure to stabilize the grid and ensure more reliable electricity distribution.
