Once again, Nigeria was plunged into darkness as states across the nation experienced another blackout on Saturday, marking the seventh collapse of the national electricity power grid in 2024.
Around 4 pm, the grid crashed to a meager 70.60 megawatts, leaving millions without power and highlighting the country’s ongoing struggle with electricity supply.
The recurring grid collapses are not just technical failures but a stark reflection of the broader issues plaguing Nigeria’s power sector. The previous collapses this year occurred on February 4, April 10, April 15, March 11, March 12, and March 28, demonstrating a distressing pattern of instability.
During the inauguration of the 31-member Presidential Economic Coordination Council at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu didn’t mince words, describing the current low electricity generation as “shameful.”
He stated, “We have the challenge of energy security in Nigeria. We need to work together to improve our oil and gas sector, and we must also increase electricity generation, as well as distribution throughout the country. We are determined to do that with your cooperation, collaboration, and recommendations. As a nation, it is so shameful that we are still generating 4.5GW of electricity.”
The data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) paints a grim picture. On the day of the collapse, power generation initially rose from 3,788.63MW to 3,976.24MW around 10 am but plummeted to 1,075.08MW by 3 pm, before crashing to 70.60MW at 4 pm.
By that time, only the Trans-Amadi Gas Turbine Power Plant in Rivers State was supplying power, producing a mere 0.80MW. Efforts to restore the grid saw a slight increase to 72.30MW around 5 pm as TCN engineers worked tirelessly to stabilize the system.
DisCos Lament
The collapse had a cascading effect on electricity distribution companies (DisCos) across the country. The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) confirmed the collapse, stating that all its interfaces in TCN stations were out of supply, affecting customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
Emeka Ezeh, EEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, announced, “The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company wishes to inform its esteemed customers of a general system collapse which occurred at 15:09 hours today, July 6, 2024. This has resulted in the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network. Due to this development, all our interface TCN stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide services to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states. We are on standby awaiting detailed information on the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre, Osogbo.”
Similarly, the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company tweeted on X, “We regret to inform you that the power outage being experienced in our franchise states is due to the system collapse of the national grid.”
The Kano DisCo echoed this sentiment, informing its customers of the power outage due to the grid collapse at about 3:10 pm, which resulted in a loss of supply to all outgoing feeders.
Ikeja DisCo also released a statement titled “Notice of System Collapse,” appealing to its customers to bear with the company as it grappled with the national grid collapse.
It said, “The current service disruption is due to a system collapse of the national grid at about 15:08 hours today. We are in collaboration with relevant stakeholders within the power value chain to ensure speedy restoration of supply.”
‘Incessant Grid Collapse Embarrassing’
According to a Punch report, Adetayo Adegbemle, convener and Executive Director of PowerUp Nigeria, an electricity consumer rights and power sector policy advocacy organization, expressed deep frustration with the recurring grid collapses.
“I think everyone involved in the value chain should be embarrassed by the regular occurrence and inability to put measures in place to avoid this constant grid collapse. It is unfortunate because everyone blames others. I believe that if heads had been rolling for people not taking responsibility, someone would have stood up to fix this problem,” he stated.
Adegbemle suggested that aligning the value chain was crucial, something the Siemens deal promised but failed to deliver. He emphasized that leadership within TCN needs to take decisive action to prevent further collapses.
Princewill Okorie, Executive Director of the Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre, criticized the persistent grid failures despite increased electricity tariffs. He raised concerns about unmetered customers being forced to pay for power outages and questioned the quality of materials used in the grid’s construction, the management’s competence, and the sector’s overall accountability.
“What are the causes of these grid collapses? Are the materials used in building the grid of good quality? Who is managing the grid? The players in the sector are more interested in collecting money from consumers, rather than making the system stable. What you hear more about the power sector is payment,” Okorie said.
NECA Urges Upgrade of Power Grid
Adewale Oyerinde, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), called for urgent action to address the persistent national grid collapses. He stressed that the disruptions severely affect power supply across the country and urged the government to upgrade the power grid to prevent further incidents.
“They should ensure to fix the cause of the national grid collapse. Once there is a collapse of the national grid, there won’t be power supply, or it becomes epileptic. We urge the government to fix the power grid, especially now that there is no subsidy on electricity. They need to upgrade the grid to stop the incessant collapse,” Oyerinde said.
Conclusion
The seventh collapse of Nigeria’s national grid in 2024 underscores a dire need for comprehensive reform in the power sector. The frequent failures are not just technical issues but symptoms of deeper systemic problems, from inadequate infrastructure and poor management to lack of accountability and financial inefficiency.
With millions of Nigerians bearing the brunt of these blackouts, the call for urgent action is louder than ever. Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated effort across all levels of the power value chain, robust policy interventions, and unwavering commitment from the government and stakeholders to ensure a stable and reliable power supply for all Nigerians.