National power grid, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu
By Jimmy Enyeh
Majority of Nigerians are currently lamenting the inability to get electricity in their various homes and offices as they were once again plunged into darkness last night as the National Grid suffered its sixth collapse in the past year despite rising electricity tariff
This ongoing issue has caused widespread frustration, leaving the nation in avoidable and unnecessary blackouts. The collapse comes at a time when many communities across the country have raised concerns and staged peaceful protests over being migrated to Band A, a tariff category, without their consent.
In response to these protests, various electricity distribution companies claimed that the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) was responsible for the migration, citing at least 20 hours of power supply per day to the affected consumers as justification.
Reacting to the collapese of the national power grid, the 2023 Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Tuesday said the national power grid collapse is a shame and an indication of leadership failure in Nigeria.
Obi, who called for the reform of Nigeria’s power sector, said the latest collapse has exposed the fragility of the country’s electricity infrastructure.
In a post on X, the former presidential candidate said the latest power grid collapse is emblematic of a leadership and government that had failed to prioritize the welfare and economic well-being of the people.
Obi said: “For the umpteenth time, the national grid has collapsed, plunging a huge part of the nation into darkness and exposing the fragility of Nigeria’s power infrastructure.
“This recurring disaster is a national shame and a glaring testament to the failure of leadership and policy implementation at the highest levels.
“How long must Nigerians endure a system that fails to provide one of the critical necessities for a productive society?
“We all know the immense importance of power supply to the transformation of our economy. Its support to SMEs, which are the engine of job creation and a major contributor to our GDP, is immeasurable.
“Today, we are the fourth largest economy in Africa, having fallen from the number one position due to leadership failure over the years, including the persistent power crisis, which is critical when compared to smaller economies.
“South Africa, which is now the largest economy in Africa with a GDP of about $400 billion and 30% of our population, generates and distributes over 40,000 megawatts of electricity.
“Secondly, Egypt, the second largest economy with a GDP of about $350 billion and half of our population, generates and distributes over 40,000 megawatts.
“Algeria, the third largest economy, with about 300B GDP and 20% of our population, generates and distributes over 50,000 megawatts of electricity.
“Nigeria, with less GDP but with more population than the three countries combined, generates and distributes less than 10,000 megawatts, and even that is riddled with frequent collapses and crises of failure.
“This disparity in power generation is a reflection of the deep-rooted governance deficit that continue to hold back our growth and potential.
“It is time for urgent, comprehensive reform. Nigerians deserve a government that prioritizes measurable indices of development.”
Some Nigerians who spoke to NATIONAL WAVES on the development registered their displeasure.
Rotimi Adewale a tech engineer, called on the Tinubu led administration to do the needful to ensure the grid dont experience another collapse.
“I’m tired and becoming more frustrated at the incessant national power grid collapse. I don’t why a government who claimed to be pro-active cannot resolve this problem. This is the sixth time the grid will collapse in one year and government seems not to have a solution to the propblems. Its sad to note that the Tinubu government has not lived up to its expectations regarding this issue”
Alhaji Nasir Mohammed said the Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, should focus on metering households and businesses without meters, to put an end to the era of “crazy bills,” which many view as an unfair burden on vulnerable citizens. He implored the minister to get first hand information on why the grid has continued to collapse and proffer a solution to the problem.
Okechukwu Amadi said the collapse of the grid has affected his business, which had already been affected due to the current economic doldrums.
“My bussiness had been affected with a myraids of problems on account of the recent fuel price hike, which has seen pump prices rise above ₦1,000 per litre. Now the grid has collapsed again forcing me to buy fuel at N1100 per litre to power my generator. Things are not just working in this country and our President is in the United Kingdom enjoying his vacation”
Toyin Martins, a business woman lambasted the minister of power for his faulure. He said “With fuel no longer a cost-effective option for powering homes and businesses, Nigerians are worried and saying that the Minister of Power be held accountable for the ongoing electricity crisis. And why has the recurring collapse of the National Grid defied all solutions? The minister should be replaced with immediate effect. She sounded with a note of finality.
Prof Ejiro Olorode, a lecturer in one of the leading private universities in Nigeria condemned the development and and wondered if neigbouring countries that receive electricity from Nigeria suffer similar problem. He said
“This is indeed a double jeopardy for the country at the moment. I’m wondering whether neighboring countries such as Niger, Togo, and Benin Republic, which receive electricity from Nigeria, experience the same fate when the National Grid fails.
Reacting to the development, the Transmission Company of Nigeria said that Monday’s national grid collapse was partial.
It, however, said that it had begun system recovery to restore supply in riposte.
The Spokesperson of TCN, Ndidi Mbah disclosed this on Monday.
According to her, the national grid did not collapse entirely as the Akwa Ibom generating Station was “Islanded” to enable it to continue supply through the Eket, Ekim, Uyo and Itu 132 Kilovolt substation.
“It was a partial system disturbance.
“The entire system did not collapse as the IBOM Generating Station was ISLANDED (i.e. separated to stand alone to continue supplying some areas to avoid the entire system going down), to enable It to continue to supply through the eket, Ekim, Uyo, and Itu 132kv substations.
“Recovery is currently [sic] ongoing and has advanced significantly”, she said.
Recall that Nigeria on Monday at 6:48 pm was thrown into darkness.
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company had confirmed the national grid collapse in a statement by its spokesperson, Emeka Ezeh on Monday.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company and Eko Electricity Distribution Company also confirmed the national grid collapse.
TCN recorded zero load allocation to the eleven Electricity Distribution Companies.
As of the time of filing this report, power supply had yet to be restored across parts of the country.
