The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has announced the formation of a forensic investigative committee aimed at addressing the frequent collapses of Nigeria’s national power grid. The announcement follows two major incidents within the past week that left parts of the country in darkness. According to a statement issued by the minister’s media aide, Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu was “worried at the disturbance on the national grid” which had “thrown some sections of the country into darkness twice” in a matter of days. To resolve this ongoing issue, he summoned the leadership of both the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for an emergency meeting over the weekend.
The minister expressed his disappointment over the recurring grid failures, stressing that these incidents were “capable of rubbishing the giant strides made in the last one year.” He added that this progress had resulted in a record power generation of “5,527 megawatts, a record generation in three years,” which he deemed crucial for the country’s power stability. Adelabu said the grid collapses were a setback for the gains made, emphasizing the importance of ensuring a reliable power supply.
To address the root causes, Adelabu announced the formation of a forensic investigation committee with a specific mandate: “to advise the government on necessary solutions to make the national grid robust and reliable.” This committee, the statement said, would complement the ongoing government efforts, such as the Presidential Power Initiatives and the Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project. Adelabu also revealed that the committee’s investigation would include a thorough examination of potential sabotage of the grid. “The committee is also to establish the root cause of both incidents, especially a review of potential sabotage on the system,” the statement read in part.
The newly constituted committee will take a comprehensive look at the national grid’s stability and recommend the necessary investments and technical capacities required to ensure its resilience and functionality. “The committee will holistically review the national grid stability,” the statement noted, “and identify investments and technical capacities required to make the grid smart and resilient.” Alongside this, a technical team has already been deployed to inspect critical nodes on the grid and identify vulnerabilities that could lead to future disruptions. These vulnerabilities will be analyzed, with recommendations provided to prevent future outages.
The minister gave a detailed account of the grid’s recent troubles, including a partial collapse on Monday, October 14, caused by a line tripping at the Jebba Transmission Substation. A recurring fault at the Osogbo Transmission Substation also contributed to the issue. Efforts to restore the grid on Monday were further complicated by a setback on Tuesday, but, according to Adelabu, the system was “fully restored” by Wednesday, October 16. He clarified that there was no grid collapse on Tuesday, as had been widely speculated, explaining that the setback was merely part of the continued restoration efforts following Monday’s incident.
Furthermore, Adelabu addressed the events on Saturday, October 19, when what was described as a “grid collapse” was, in fact, a “deliberate protective shutdown of the grid” following an explosion at the Jebba transformer. The explosion was caused by aging equipment, which was unrelated to the earlier collapse. “What we had were more grid disturbances than collapses,” Adelabu said, adding that the situation was swiftly managed, with the grid being restored within two hours of the shutdown.
The forensic investigation committee is made up of six members: Engr. Nafisat Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator; Dr. Chidi Ike, Commissioner at NERC; Engr. Ishola, General Manager of the National Control Centre; Engr. Emmanuel Nosike, Director of Transmission at the Federal Ministry of Power; Engr. Ali Sharifai, General Manager of the Transmission Service Provider; and Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power. The team has been tasked with providing a detailed report on their findings and recommendations to the minister by November 1, 2024.
