Power Minister attributes frequent grid collapses to vandalism and poor maintenance, vows to resolve power woes.
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed the country’s frequent grid collapses to vandalism, theft of power equipment, and inadequate maintenance.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday while receiving a report from a committee set up to address the issue, Adelabu said most incidents in 2024 were caused by these factors.
He emphasised that the Federal Government views the problem as a matter of urgency and pledged to review the committee’s findings before presenting them to President Bola Tinubu.
The six-member committee, chaired by Mrs Nafisat Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator (ISO), highlighted specific causes of recent collapses, including damaged lightning arrestors at Jebba and Oshogbo transmission stations and an explosion at Jebba Station in October 2024.
Ali said the committee recommended measures such as reviewing the relaying systems within a month, improving staff training, and testing critical equipment. Financially intensive recommendations would be considered in the 2025 budget or through supplementary funds.
She praised the quick responses of power sector stakeholders, noting that no grid collapse lasted longer than 24 hours.
