The Federal Government has issued an apology following the recent collapse of the national grid, which resulted in power outages lasting several days across 17 states. During a courtesy visit to Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State, Minister of Power Chief Adebayo Adelabu described the situation as “very unfortunate.”
Adelabu emphasized that the government is actively working to overhaul the national grid to reduce the frequency of disturbances and improve overall power supply throughout the country. He noted that the national grid, which is over 50 years old, is plagued by weak, obsolete, and dilapidated components, including aging lines, substations, and transformers.
The minister explained that many towers in the system are falling due to weather and climate change, necessitating continuous maintenance. “This grid requires a lot of money to maintain. So, what we have now, we will continue to manage it and prevent frequent disturbances until we are able to overhaul this infrastructure 100 percent,” he stated.
Adelabu outlined the government’s plans to revamp the entire grid structure, highlighting various programs aimed at replacing old infrastructure. Among these initiatives is the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), known as the Siemens project, which is currently underway.
He also mentioned the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) expansion program, supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB). Adelabu confirmed that the pilot phase of the Siemens project has recently been concluded, involving the importation of 10 power transformers and 10 mobile substations.