The incessant grid collapse in Nigeria has become unacceptable and calls for immediate attention by the federal government.
Development Diaries reports that the national grid, which is managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), went down at approximately 11:51am Sunday, reducing the system’s capacity from 2,407 megawatts to a mere 31MW by 12:00pm, and reaching zero by 1:00pm.
According to TCN, the grid collapsed due to gas constraints at the Ibom power plant, feeding the Eket, Ekim, Itu and Uyo transmission substations.
Nigeria has been grappling with the persistent challenge of power grid collapses, an issue that has significantly hampered the country’s economic growth and development.
A 2023 report titled Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 ranked Nigeria as the world’s top country with a lack of access to electricity, with 86 million of its over 200 million population living without electricity as of 2021.
The nation’s power sector has been plagued by a myriad of problems, ranging from inadequate infrastructure to mismanagement, corruption, and insufficient investment.
These issues have collectively contributed to the frequent and debilitating power grid collapses that have become a recurring nightmare for citizens and businesses.
At this point, urgent measures are needed to revitalise the nation’s power infrastructure, including significant investments in modernising and expanding the transmission and distribution networks.
The collapse of the national grid has become an occurrence that Nigerians expect every now and then. Just like people take note of the first rain of the year, in this case, Nigeria has recorded its first grid collapse for the year, with expectations of more grid collapses in the year.
It is now the new ‘normal’ for Nigerians. But should this be so?
The grid is unreliable, failing customers over 141 times, even after the federal government privatised the industry more than 11 years ago.
It is a show of failure on the part of the government. These things keep happening because there are no consequences, and no one takes responsibility for such developments. The government ought to concentrate on finding ways to mitigate this vulnerability.
Recall President Bola Tinubu’s promise in his manifesto, where he promised to ‘generate, transmit and distribute sufficient affordable electricity’ for the people of Nigeria.
This development requires urgent attention, and President Tinubu must task the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, with getting it right.
Experts in the sector have advised that the sector must be decentralised to reduce vulnerability, as a single national grid is not good for the country.
Development Diaries calls on the Minister of Power to consider decentralising the sector to reduce vulnerability, as a single national grid is not good for the country.
Generally, the minister must implement comprehensive reforms to pave the way for a more stable and reliable power supply, which will boost economic growth and improve the quality of life for citizens.
Photo source: TCN
