CurrentReport Blog Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed the ongoing national grid failures to outdated infrastructure, some over 50 years old. He detailed these challenges after meeting with President Bola Tinubu, noting that weak transmission lines, collapsing towers, and aging substations hamper electricity distribution. Adelabu highlighted the recent collapse of a 47-year-old transformer in Jebba, stressing that upgrades cannot be done overnight.
Between January and October 2024, the national grid has collapsed at least seven times, impacting the South-East, North-East, and North-West regions. Addressing these power issues, Adelabu secured Tinubu’s support to deploy security forces to safeguard repair teams, who often face bandit attacks while restoring northern transmission lines.
Adelabu explained that the Shiroro-Kaduna line—critical to the northern power supply—has experienced severe vandalism. As an alternative, the Ministry of Power is working to restore another line from the Ikot Ekpene substation, affected by a recent fire. The Federal Executive Council has approved an upgrade for the Shiroro-Kaduna line to ensure stable power delivery to the north.
In the long term, Adelabu plans to implement a distributed power model for northern Nigeria, emphasizing solar energy. Each of the 20 northern states will have embedded solar utilities, starting with 50 megawatts per state, scalable to 100 megawatts. This model will leverage the north’s abundant sunlight, reducing strain on the national grid and providing reliable power to the region.
