The Federal Government has stated that the country will continue to experience frequent national grid collapses due to ongoing challenges in the power sector.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this during a budget defense session with the Senate Committee on Power, chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, in Abuja. Adelabu attributed the grid’s vulnerability to unresolved issues, including the failure to repair the Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando transmission line in the Northern region due to persistent insecurity.
He acknowledged the inevitability of grid collapses but assured that the government is prioritizing efforts to reduce their frequency and minimize restoration times. Adelabu emphasized that vandalism remains a major challenge in the sector, hampering the government’s ability to manage the aging and deteriorating grid infrastructure effectively.
Highlighting plans to improve power distribution, the minister announced a N36 billion investment in transformers across the six geopolitical zones. Additionally, the government intends to revamp five major substations as part of Phase 1 of a broader initiative to address systemic issues in the power sector.
Adelabu also noted that over seven million customers are still subjected to estimated billing, further compounding the sector’s challenges.
Regarding the Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line, he explained that its prolonged outage since October 2024 has placed undue pressure on the national grid, contributing to frequent collapses.
“We recognize the recurring grid failures, but our focus remains on swift restoration and mitigating future disruptions. Collaboration with security agencies is critical in addressing vandalism, which significantly impacts our operations,” Adelabu said.
He clarified that in 2024, the grid experienced eight collapses—five full and three partial—contrary to reports of 12 incidents. Of the five full collapses, three resulted from generation problems, while the remaining two were caused by vandalism.
Despite these setbacks, Adelabu reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening the power sector and addressing its infrastructure challenges.
