The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said there is no end in sight for the frequent collapse of the national electricity grid.
He said this is due to the government’s inability to repair a crucial transmission line in northern Nigeria owing to persistent insecurity.
Mr Adelabu disclosed this during the 2025 budget defense session with the Senate Joint Committee on Power.
While lamenting the impact of the damage on the Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line, which has been out of service since a vandalism incident in October 2024, Mr Adelabu said the incident has made the grid fragile to constant collapses.
“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 vandalised but has been repaired. The Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line, however, remains down due to insecurity,” he said.
“This is why our grid is so fragile, as it relies on a single line, causing unnecessary strain.”
He, however, said despite the challenges, the government is focused on reducing the frequency of the collapse and ensuring quick restoration times.
Mr Adelabu also acknowledged the collaboration between the ministry and the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, in tackling vandalism of power infrastructure.
“We recognise 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,” Mr Adelabu said.
The minister also disclosed plans to invest N36 billion in the distribution of transformers across the six geopolitical zones.
