Electricity consumers in Nigeria are expressing their frustration over the ongoing collapses of the national grid, with the latest incident occurring on Saturday, marking the third time within a week. This repeated failure is being labeled as a national embarrassment.
Reports confirm that the national grid experienced a collapse at approximately 8:16 AM on Saturday, leading to widespread blackouts across the country. At 8 AM, power generation was recorded at 3,042 megawatts, peaking at 3,968MW at 7 AM before plummeting to just 47MW by 9 AM. Efforts were made to restore normalcy in power supply following this drop.
The Minister of Power has set a target for Nigeria to reach 6,000 megawatts of electricity generation by year-end, assuring citizens of improved power supply in the upcoming year and emphasizing government initiatives to enhance power transmission and generation. However, the consistent grid failures pose a significant threat to achieving this goal.
The spokesperson for the Transmission Company did not respond to inquiries regarding the latest collapse. Meanwhile, Princewill Okorie, a consumer advocacy leader, voiced his concerns regarding the impact of these grid failures on consumers, particularly those subjected to estimated billing, who continue to pay for power outages. He raised issues regarding the use of potentially substandard materials in power infrastructure and criticized regulatory bodies for neglecting consumer rights, particularly concerning metering practices.
Okorie challenged relevant authorities to address the situation, highlighting the heavy financial burden on consumers who are left without reliable electricity despite high billing rates. He questioned the quality of materials and the professionalism of those constructing the grid, emphasizing the need for better oversight in grid management.
In response to the grid collapse, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission attributed the failure to an explosion of a current transformer. They acknowledged the increasing frequency of grid disturbances, which have hindered progress made in improving grid stability.
The commission confirmed that restoration efforts were underway, with significant power restored by 1 PM across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory. They noted that the unbundling of the System Operator function from the Transmission Company is in progress, aiming to promote better grid management and investment in infrastructure.
The Minister of Power also emphasized the necessity for establishing multiple regional power grids to mitigate the risk of further collapses, citing the current deteriorating state of Nigeria’s power infrastructure as a contributing factor to these ongoing challenges.
