Prominent members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) have voiced serious concerns regarding the frequent collapses of Nigeria’s national power grid, warning that these disruptions are severely crippling already distressed businesses. Key business groups, including the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), highlighted the detrimental impact on economic activities.
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) also noted that the ongoing grid failures hinder economic growth and undermine efforts for enterprise sustainability, particularly due to the high energy costs businesses are currently facing. MAN emphasized the frustration among manufacturers, who incur significant costs to re-energize production lines that are halted during grid outages.
Recent reports indicated that the national grid collapsed three times within a 24-hour period last week, and power supply has yet to be fully restored across the nation. Dr. Chinyere Almona, the Director-General of LCCI, called on the government to consider privatizing the national grid, expressing deep concern over the increasing frequency of outages.
“This year alone, we have recorded eight grid failures, with three occurring within just one week. The deteriorating performance of the national grid is a significant concern for the business community,” Almona stated. She criticized the relevant authorities for seemingly lacking a clear understanding of the root causes of the collapses, despite numerous failures.
“It is troubling that, after so many incidents, the national grid managers have not identified the underlying issues or implemented effective solutions. There appears to be no coherent strategy to address these problems,” she added.