By Constance Athekame
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu has attributed the incessant grid collapses to vandalism and lack of maintenance in past.
Adelabu said this in Abuja on Wednesday while receiving the report of the committee set up to look into the frequent grid collapses.
It will be recalled that the minister had constituted a six-member Committee to advise the Federal Government on necessary solutions to make the national grid robust and reliable.
The minister said that most of the incidents of grid collapses in 2024 was as a result of vandalism of power installations and theft of power equipment.c
According to him, lack of good maintenance of the grid in the past and a number of other external factors was also adding to the collapses.
He said that the Federal Government was taking the issue of grid collapses seriously as it needs urgent attention.
”We are taking these issues seriously and we believe it requires urgent attention and immediate arrest of this undesirable frequent grid collapses.
Adelabu said that the ministry and other Heads of agencies in the power sector would look into the report and make amended before submitting it to the president.
He said that recommendations from the report would have some financial implications adding that this would be included in the 2025 budget.
”We will not wait until then for us to start implementation and if it is possible we will have a supplementary budget because it is a national issue and must be so addressed.
‘ I want to use this opportunity to thank my colleagues for their responses to bring up the system each time it experiences collapse.
Adelabu said that the quick responses were commendable.
According to him, even though it is not desirable that we have it at all. But once we have it in spite of the age of the system you able to restore powe swiftly to ensure that none of the grid collapse lasted more than 24 hour.
Presenting the report, Mrs Nafisayu Ali, the Chairman of the committee blamed the collapse that occurred on Oct. 14th on the shattering of lightning arrestors in Jebba and Oshogbo transmission stations.
Ali, who is also the Executive Director, Independent System Operator, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) blamed the incident of Oct.19th was as a result of the explosion of a CT also in Jebba Station.
Ali informed the minister that Jebba Hydro power plant was commissioned in 1968.
She urged the Federal Government to in the short term of one month review relaying philosophy and setting, particularly at critical nodes.
She said the committee also recommended that the government should enhance the capacity development for Maintenance and System Operator (SO) staff.
Ali said that the committee also recommended the testing of existing equipment at the critical nodes to establish reliability.