Why national grid will continue to collapse — Minister

The Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu has said that the national electricity grid will remain prone to collapse due to the government’s inability to repair a crucial transmission line in Northern Nigeria owing to persistent insecurity.

He disclosed this during the 2025 budget defense session with the Senate Joint Committee on Power.

Adelabu explained that the Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando transmission line, which has been out of service since October 2024 due to vandalism, continues to strain the grid.

The damage to this crucial line has led to frequent power grid collapses, aggravating Nigeria’s already unstable electricity supply.

The Minister stressed that until the line is repaired, the grid will remain at risk, urging for improved security measures to enable the swift restoration of critical infrastructure.

“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,” he said on Monday.

“This is why our grid is so fragile, as it relies on a single line, causing unnecessary strain.”

Though, he said while grid collapses are expected to continue, the government is focused on reducing their frequency and ensuring quick restoration times.

He underscored that the collaboration especially with the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu is critical to addressing vandalism, which remains one of the most significant challenges facing the power sector.

The minister equally announced a N2 trillion budget for the ministry and its agencies, out of which N229 billion belongs to the ministry.

He revealed a N700 billion fund allocated to the Power Metering Initiative (PMI), aimed at significantly reducing the metering gap by next month, to particularly enhance billing transparency and reduce fraud in the system.

“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,” Adelabu said.

The minister also disclosed plans to invest N36 billion in the distribution of transformers across the six geopolitical zones.

As part of efforts to address insecurity, Adelabu has proposed the installation of solar lights and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on highways across the country, aimed at monitoring the movements of vandals and other criminal elements, enhancing security and protecting critical infrastructure.

The proposal is included under a N200 billion sub-head in the 2025 budget.

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