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.
This is according to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who spoke during the 2025 budget defense session with the Senate Joint Committee on Power.
Adelabu highlighted the impact of the damaged Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line, which has been out of service since a vandalism incident in October 2024. This failure has placed immense pressure on the grid, leading to frequent collapses.
“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.”
The minister emphasized that 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.