The Federal Government has acknowledged that frequent collapses of the national grid will continue, citing several challenges, including insecurity and the need for repairs to critical infrastructure.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, made this statement in Abuja while defending the 2025 budget before the Senate Committee on Power, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Adelabu explained that the national electricity grid remains highly vulnerable to collapses, primarily due to the government’s inability to repair a key transmission line in the northern region, which has been affected by ongoing security issues.
He noted, however, that efforts are underway to reduce the frequency of these collapses and ensure quicker restoration times. “We recognize 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,” he said.
The Minister also emphasized that vandalism continues to be one of the major challenges facing the power sector.
He discussed the significant impact of the damaged Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando transmission line, which has been out of service since October 2024 due to vandalism.
“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 vandalized but has been repaired. The Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line, however, remains down due to insecurity. This is why our grid is so fragile, as it relies on a single line, causing unnecessary strain,” Adelabu explained.
Adelabu also revealed the government’s plan to invest N36 billion in the distribution of transformers across the country’s six geopolitical zones. This investment aims to improve power distribution infrastructure and address systemic challenges within the sector. Additionally, the government is set to launch Phase 1 of a major revamp of five sub-stations, which will benefit over seven million customers who are still subjected to estimated billing.
Reflecting on the state of the grid, Adelabu described the national grid as outdated and dilapidated. He further noted that the grid had suffered eight collapses in 2024, not 12 as previously reported.
“I’m happy to also inform you that out of the eight collapses of the national grid that we experienced during 2024, five were full collapses, while three were partial collapses. Of the five full collapses that we experienced, three were actually due to generation problems. We had issues with cellular reduction in generation compared to the power being taken up by the user, which affected the frequent imbalance on the grid. Two collapses were actually from vandalism problems,” he explained.
While Adelabu acknowledged that grid collapses will continue, he emphasized the government’s commitment to reducing their frequency and minimizing the time it takes to restore power. He also reiterated the importance of collaboration with security agencies, especially the office of the National Security Adviser, to combat vandalism, which remains one of the most significant challenges in the power sector.
