-
Concerns over regional security, economy, as trading, businesses novedive
-
Darkness, economic paralysis in the North unacceptable —ACF
-
FG prescribes multiple regional, states grids as remedy
From Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
It is no longer news that the Northern part of Nigeria has been thrown into darkness in the last couple of weeks, but the crux of the matter is how soon the protracted blackout that has affected all spheres of life and businesses will be honestly addressed.
An investigation by Citizenship Daily revealed that this power outage experienced in the Northern region has brought untold hardships, aided the collapse of businesses, increased insecurity, and worsened multidimensional poverty in some worse hit areas.
To the young generation, the North has never had it so bad to stay this long in darkness, but elderly citizens like 73-year-old Alhaji Abubakar Mansur can give you a vivid account of the protracted power failure in the North and the country at large.
According to him, the first power failure which was not severe, was during the civil war when some parts of the then Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) transformer in Sapele, Delta State, was attacked, which led to the rationing of light for a not-total blackout.
He said that the strike action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to protest the annulment of the June 12 election by the General Babangida’s Administration, an outcome which led to his stepping aside for Chief Ernest Shonekan to emerge as Interim President.
Alhaji Masur therefore, sent a message of advice to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that any blackout unattended overtime could have an adverse effect on his administration.
However, to the young generation, accounts like that of Mansur is like a tale under the moonlight. In the words of Mr. Emmanuel John Asana, a Video Editor and Movie Director, the power outage has caused delays in the delivery of jobs to the clients.
He explained that his job requires digital gadgets such as phones and laptops, which need to be powered for video editing and others, adding that the cost of delivery has caused him losses as he has to pay to power his gadgets and put in three times the effort to utilize battery time before shutdown.
“The cost of powering these devices has gone high due to the fuel price, but even at that, I can’t take jobs as I used to before because work is now slow.
“Even with your money, you will plead with the People before they agree to charge your device because of the long queues.
“I have to let go of some clients because the deadline is delayed. A job of two days now takes four days depending on the available battery time.”
He revealed that he barely sleeps as comfort is now not an option since he has to go out to look for means to get a job delivered.
“It takes time to build trust, and I don’t want to lose the trust my clients have for me, so I simply ask them if they can wait, otherwise they could go elsewhere, and that is painful for me cause I need the money, it is what puts food on my table.
“Every day, I leave my house, and that is if I even sleep at home because I will look for where to charge the gadgets, be it a neighbour or friend’s house or shop, and then stay there to do the editing no matter how long it takes.”
He expressed dismay about the collapse of the power grid, saying that it was a shame the grid had to stay 50 years before the government moved to look into it.
Emmanuel, however, attributed the collapse to overpopulation, noting that the electricity capacity is not sufficient for the over 200 million Nigerians in the country.
The Movie Director advised that the government and stakeholders s come up with ways to change the grid in such a way it doesn’t affect businesses, which will, in turn, affect the economy.
“When you look at fuel, it is the major cause of complaints because the cost is high. If fuel price is on the minimal side, people won’t complain even without light because fuel will be affordable.
“I appeal that an alternative should be provided to sort that aspect and make fuel affordable so that as the power grid is being repaired or changed, businesses can be sustained to grow the economy.”
Data from the Nigerian system operator’s portal revealed that the national grid recorded zero megawatts (MW) as of 9:10 a.m. on Saturday, marking the third collapse within a week. So far in 2024, the national grid has collapsed eight times, with the first failure recorded on February 4.
Subsequent collapses occurred on March 28, April 15, July 6, and August 5. Nigerians also faced blackouts on October 14 and October 15. On May 1, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported a significant reduction in the frequency of system collapses.
According to TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah, grid disturbances have decreased by 76.47 percent over the last five years.
Commenting on the ongoing issues, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu attributed the frequent grid failures to outdated infrastructure. He emphasized that investing in power infrastructure is key to preventing future collapses.
Adelabu also advocated for decentralizing the power sector, suggesting that establishing multiple regional and state grids would prevent widespread outages when a disturbance occurs at the national grid.
The minister further explained that Nigeria’s reliance on a single national grid means that any disturbance affects all 36 states.
He noted that the new Electricity Act had decentralized power, enabling state and local governments to participate in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.
When the TCN and distribution companies were battling to restart the National grid, major parts of the Northern parts of the country, especially Kaduna Kebbi and Zamfara, were plunged into Darkness as a result of vandals damaging the Towers T133 and T136 along 330kv Shiroro – Kaduna line 1&2.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced via its General Manager Public Affairs Ndidi Mbah on 18/10/24 that two towers along its 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines one and two have been vandalized, damaging parts of both transmission lines.
According to reports from the Shiroro Regional office of TCN, the 330kV transmission line one tripped first, followed shortly by the second, as efforts were still ongoing to reclose the first line, prompting the urgent mobilization of local vigilantes to patrol the lines. This led to the discovery of two damaged towers, towers T133 and tower T 136, with their cables badly damaged at several points.
TCN assured that arrangements are in top gear to deploy the newly procured “emergency restoration system” to the site, pending the reconstruction of the damaged towers.
TCN has also conducted an aerial survey in collaboration with security operatives, given the area’s vulnerability to banditry, which poses a significant threat to both TCN installations and personnel.
“In the interim, our engineers have implemented a temporary measure to supply bulk power to the Kaduna and Kano regions via the 330kV Kaduna – Jo’s transmission line.
“The vandalized Shiroro – Kaduna 330kV lines 1&2 are vital lines through which bulk power is transmitted to parts of the North West region, with each line capable of carrying 600MW.
“The vandalism of the towers and transmission lines presents a significant challenge to bulk power transmission in that axis. We are, however, committed to re-erecting the towers and restringing the transmission lines to restore bulk power transmission through both 330kV power transmission lines.”
Adebayo Adelabu, on the 28th of October, also assured that electricity would be restored to Northern Nigeria within the next three days.
Adelabu disclosed this while responding to questions from senators regarding the power outage affecting the region and the recurring grid collapses across the country.
On October 22, the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported an outage in the North-East, North-West, and parts of North-Central Nigeria after the 330-kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji-Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 tripped.
According to the Executive Director of the Independent System Operator, Nafisatu Ali, the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line supplying power to the North was vandalized by insurgents.
In response, President Bola Tinubu directed the military to provide security for workers repairing the power lines.
In response, President Bola Tinubu directed the military to provide security for workers repairing the power lines.
As a temporary measure, Adelabu stated that power would be supplied through the Ugwuaji-Makurdi transmission line, which could cover approximately 80% of affected states.
“Power will be restored to the North in two to three days. We will use the Ugwuaji-Makurdi transmission line for temporary purposes,” Adelabu said.
He further noted that efforts are underway to access the damaged grid with the assistance of security agencies
Once fully accessible, the damaged lines will be repaired, allowing for a complete restoration of power to the affected areas.
Adelabu added, “We are working with security agencies to access the grid currently occupied by vandals.
“I assure you that within the next 14 days, the repairs will be completed, and power will be fully restored to the North.”
But speaking with unbelief, a cafe owner, Joe Isco, said, “Story as usual, because I don’t believe whatever the Minister is saying until power is fully restored and stabilized.”
He disclosed that he had to close his cafe for a while due to the power outage because students complained about the cost of printing and photocopying.
According to him, he fully depends on his phone and laptop to work before sending to friends to help him with the printouts.
He added that the cost of fuel has not made things easy for students and business owners like himself as everything, especially the cost of paper for printing, has gone high.
“Before, we typed 50 Naira per page, but now it has gone up to 100 Naira, and that is because the SUG stepped in. So now we have to minimize production just to beat expenses.
“I don’t have a generator or solar panel. I share with my neighbor, who is also my friend, but the burden is much coupled with losses.
“So I had to close for a while and attach myself to other cafe owners to do one or two jobs. Whether or not you work, you must pay rent, so what is the use?
“If I collect any work like assignments or projects, I just call any of my friends, do the work on my phone or laptop, and send it to them for printing, then we share the money when it is paid.
“I was hoping to save money and buy a generator, but now, I just have to drop plans for that and make do with what I have, even if it means losing customers because this kind of work has a time frame.”
Joe Isco, however, expressed optimism that power outages will soon become a thing of the past with stable light and progressive businesses for a better economy.
“I appeal to President Tinubu to keep to his promises; this is not bigger than his government. He and his Ministers should put their heads together and come up with alternatives or ways to fix the grid so that we can have our businesses back and make money.”
On a neutral stand, a provision store owner, Shade Olawuyi disclosed that she has resorted to selling only goods that don’t require electricity to store.
According to her, the issue of power outage is not news and Nigerians should be used to it by now because it is not the first time the National Power Grid has collapsed.
“I sell kunu and zobo and I know how much I lost because it went sour. People won’t buy sour drinks or hot drinks, so I stopped producing them.
“I still sell minerals and others for those who can manage without chilled drinks. Ice blocks are expensive too, and those who used to sell have stopped selling; only a few people are complaining about fuel.
“People bargain on goods anyhow and I don’t blame them. Even the cost of making snacks is a story for another day, but this is Nigeria, and this is what we have come to accept.”
She attributed the power failure to nonchalance on the part of the government, saying that little attention was paid to the needs of the power sector.
“This is not a new thing. Every day, you get a new story, which is all excuses. Nigeria is blessed, and we have the resources to fix issues like this, but greed has consumed our corrupt politicians.
“God knows I and others have been praying and are still praying for God to touch their senses but if they remain stubborn, then God should deal with them.
“Leaders should keep to their promises and see how to settle for alternatives. Otherwise, things will keep going bad, and the economy will go bad.”
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency over the prolonged power outage affecting northern Nigeria, warning that the persistent blackout poses a significant threat to both the region’s security and its economic well-being.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Forum, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, who spoke to this correspondent, expressed grave concern over the power crisis, which has now stretched into its second week, leaving much of the North in darkness.
Prof. Muhammad-Baba highlighted that the blackout has had severe consequences for the daily livelihoods of millions, especially small and medium-sized businesses that rely on a stable power supply.
According to ACF, the outage has led to widespread frustration and has the potential to ignite unrest if not urgently addressed.
“The silence from responsible authorities, particularly the Federal Government, is disturbing. The North, despite its significant contribution to Nigeria’s power generation, suffers from grossly unequal electricity distribution.
“There is a stark imbalance, with northern Nigeria receiving far fewer power substations compared to other regions, despite hosting more than half of the country’s population,”
The Forum emphasized that the current distribution model, which leaves northern states disproportionately underserved, has rendered many communities inoperative, especially as small businesses continue to be hit hard by the blackout.
Prof. Muhammad-Baba added that this inequity calls into question the commitment to fair resource allocation nationwide, warning that the North’s enduring darkness and economic paralysis are unacceptable.
ACF urged the federal government to treat the situation with utmost urgency by declaring a state of emergency, prioritizing the restoration of power to affected areas.
The Forum also called for an immediate review of the electricity allocation framework to ensure fair distribution across the country.
Furthermore, the Forum pressed northern governors and National Assembly members to take a stronger stand, advocating for immediate solutions that could help prevent the crisis from spiraling out of control.
ACF’s statement also underscored the security implications of the blackout, stressing that the power infrastructure in the region remains vulnerable to both technical and security challenges.
The Forum urged the federal government to address these vulnerabilities to ensure sustainable power transmission and distribution, enabling the North to regain stability and economic momentum.
Similarly, The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and traditional rulers have called for urgent intervention in addressing the current power outage in some northern states.
At a joint meeting in Kaduna recently, they noted that the nine days of darkness in most states of the North had caused many economic losses and untold hardship.
According to them, economic hardship is more pronounced in the North than in other parts of the country.
The Northern leaders also said the North-South disparity and economic inequality must be addressed to alleviate the people’s suffering, including the ravaging insecurity and power outages mainly affecting the northern region.
Political leaders from the region have also joined their voices to lament the power outage.
The former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, observed that the ongoing electricity crisis in Nigeria has reached critical levels, particularly affecting the Southeast, Northwest, and Northeast regions, which have faced complete blackouts for the past three weeks.
In a post on his verified X handle on Saturday, he called for immediate government intervention to restore power in these distressed areas.
Atiku highlighted the necessity for the government agencies responsible for electricity to act swiftly, emphasizing that the current situation demands urgent measures to alleviate the suffering of affected citizens.
He reiterated his belief that his policy proposal, outlined in “My Covenant with Nigerians,” offers a comprehensive plan to address the nation’s long-standing energy challenges.
A key aspect of Atiku’s solution is the decentralization of the electricity sector. He advocates for removing the entire electricity value chain from the exclusive list, granting states the autonomy to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity independently.
“An industrial dispute in the capital should not hinder industrial activities across the nation,” he stated, pointing to the urgent need for localized energy solutions.
Atiku also stressed the importance of enhancing Nigeria’s energy infrastructure, calling for investments in both renewable and non-renewable energy sources. He proposed a strategic mix that includes hydro, solar, wind, biofuels, coal, and gas to diversify the country’s energy portfolio.
To facilitate the transition to a more resilient energy system, the former vice president recommended encouraging private investment in the development of mini-grid systems that could eventually integrate into a national super-grid. This, he argued, would provide a sustainable framework for energy distribution across Nigeria.
The Civil Society Organisations have also knocked the Administration for the power outage, especially in the North.
The Deputy Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Leo Atakpu opined that Year in, year out, decade after decade, Nigerians keep hearing this story, of power outages yet, they claim to have a government in place
Mr. Atakpu explained that Governments have been coming in; they will spend eight years and make all kinds of promises, spending billions of dollars to keep the electricity infrastructure both for generating, distribution, and transmission.
He added that A huge amount of money has been invested to keep the electricity running, but nothing is working,g, and why? Because of corruption.
“There’s corruption everywhere, it has destroyed every fragment of society.
“People go in there; they are happy that they are elected Ministers of power because it is an opportunity for them to steal for their families, friends, and generations to come.
“That is the reality now, otherwise, why should there not be 24/7 electricity in this Country? With all the Hydro Electricity Dams that we have and all the sun that can generate new energy, here we are, darkness everywhere.
“Then they tell you that they want to ration electricity in the small quantity that they can keep despite all the billions invested.
“We need a government with the political will to investigate all transactions; those who stole money in the Power Sector and those who sell the equipment and pocket the money need to be investigated,” he stressed.
The power that has been restored to states like Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa Kaduna and Kebbi states is a face-saving approach, and what they need is permanent solutions.
In Kaduna State, the light is rationed, which still affects the business and daily activities of citizens.
According to Reverend Amos Titus, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should ensure that the power outage is addressed once because many businesses, especially the SMEs, are fast folding up in the North, and this will further contribute to the insecurity and poverty bedeviling the Northern region.
