Nigeria’s national grid has become notoriously unreliable, with frequent collapses plunging the country into darkness. The frequency and persistence of these disruptions suggest that the grid could be operating under significant strain, bordering on constant failure. This alarming frequency underscores the grid’s vulnerability and raises concerns about its stability and reliability, warranting urgent attention and comprehensive reforms.
Data showed that under President Buhari, the grid collapsed three times in 2015, 28 times in 2016, 24 times in 2017, 13 times in 2018, and 11 times in 2019. Between 2020 and May 29, 2023, it collapsed 14 times. In the last one year that President Tinubu assumed office, the grid has collapsed 11 times. This incessant collapse has left many Nigerians frustrated due to the constant power outages in the country. The situation is very dire, the grid’s fragility is causing widespread disruptions to daily life, businesses, and the economy.
According to a 2023 report published by the World Bank, Nigeria ranked as the country with the poorest power supply to its citizens globally. The report highlighted that 85 million Nigerians are not connected to the national grid and a loss of $26 billion annually.
The frequency of these collapses has made it clear that authorities in the power sector are not capable of handling the sector any more. Then, grid collapse used to be due to major faults but now, it is collapsing every other day.
Cause of the constant collapse
Nigeria’s electricity challenges are due to a fundamental mismatch between supply and demand. The country’s power generation capacity is not sufficient to meet the growing demand thereby resulting in load-shedding protocols and when left unmanaged, the grid collapses.
The chairman of Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, has come out to say that there are big problems with the power equipment in the country. He said most of the equipment are very old and have been in use since 40 or 50 years ago. He said this when he appeared on Sunday Politics in Channels TV to explain why the grid keeps failing.
“Most of the equipment we use is 40 or 50 years old. So it is not possible to work properly,” Abdulaziz said. “The transmission company needs a lot of investment and for so many years in this country, that sector has been neglected.”
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelalu, attributed the cause of the frequent collapses to vandalism and lack of maintenance. The minister, while receiving the report of the committee set up to address the cause of the collapses in Abuja, maintained that this year’s collapse is due to vandalism and theft of power equipment.
Recently, Jos Electricity Distribution reported that 37 of its transmission towers were targeted in Benue State. The company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Adakole Elijah, who condemned the act, called on police and vigilantes to assist in safeguarding the facilities.
“It has become impossible for the company to protect these assets single-handedly. That is why we are pleading with communities to take ownership of electricity facilities in their areas, as it is them that the facility serves,” Elijah said.
“Each time our facilities are vandalized, we spend significant amounts of money to restore services, only for them to be vandalized again. While the assets belong to the company, the communities are the end users. We continue to plead with people, especially community policing and vigilantes, to assist in safeguarding these assets,” he said.
Economic impact
The constant collapse of the grid has been a major concern to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). The association says the huge cost spent on reenergizing production lines whenever the grid goes off is frustrating manufacturers.
“It is unacceptable that most manufacturers have to always shut down production lines anytime national grid collapse occurs in the country. To re-energise those production lines takes extra production costs, and they are still expected to be billed 250 per cent electricity tariff by power electric companies without factoring the menace causing the frequent breakdown in the national grid. There is no way manufacturing can thrive perfectly when you don’t have a steady and affordable power supply,” MAN’s Director General, Segun Ayayi-Kadiri, stated.
Similarly, the President of Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture NACCIMA, Dele Oye, said the state of the grid affects business productivity, increases inflation and affects profitability.
“With the grid failing multiple times in recent months, businesses have been grappling with erratic power supply, which disrupts production lines, inflates operational costs, and ultimately affects profitability,” Oye said.
“The implications are dire. Prolonged outages hinder productivity and lead to lost revenue, while small and medium enterprises, often the backbone of our economy, struggle to survive under the weight of high generator costs and maintenance. This situation not only stifles business growth but also erodes consumer confidence and limits job creation,” he said.
The added power costs incurred by businesses will be directly reflected in higher consumer prices and this will increase the financial strain on individuals and households. As a result, families may struggle to afford essential goods and services, undermining overall economic well-being and potentially stifling economic recovery.
The surge in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) prices has rendered generator-powered electricity unaffordable for many households, crippling their ability to access basic necessities like lighting, food preservation, and essential appliances.
Darkness provides cover for criminal activities. It raises security concerns as the current energy crisis may lead to an alarming increase in evil deeds, compromising community safety and social stability.
Any way out?
A renowned energy expert and Lead Consultant on Power to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Mr. Odion Omonfoman, in a phone chat with THISDAY highlighted some possible solutions to the constant failing. He advocated for a decentralized grid system, enabling state governments to contribute to distributed power generation. He also emphasized that relying solely on the national grid is unrealistic, given Nigeria’s vast geography, which demands a reinforced and adaptable infrastructure.
“The cost of reinforcing a grid is elastic and states are already taking their own initiatives to make sure they have their own generation within their states. That’s the only thing that will solve this whole thing where we are not all reliant on the national grid,” Omonfoman explained.
He stressed the importance of states creating their own electricity market where they could get the supplier side of the national grid and have a number of energy sources to apply. He also added that Nigeria cannot work with the existing 11 distribution companies (Discos) due to their bankruptcy.
He said, “They cannot sustain energy supply to the end users. So states must now take charge and license new operators that are more efficient and more reliable. At the end of the day, there has to be new entrants into the distribution space so that as more power is generated, end users can have relief in terms of reliable supply. It’s a no brainer, it’s just that we work from a centralized market. If you are in Abuja, everything is rocket science.”
Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a professor of Energy and Electricity law at the University of Lagos, Prof. Yemi Oke, said Nigeria’s power supply needs to be decentralized as the national grid is weak, unreliable and expensive to maintain.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS, Oke called for immediate reforms. He stressed the need for regional grids, saying it is better to be late than never.
Reflecting on the incessant grid collapses, Oke stated, “I think we started too late. I would agree to the fact that now we have started taking the right steps, but it’s too late because we ought to have started taking those steps years back.”
He further emphasized the need for Nigeria to adopt decentralized power solutions, citing global shifts towards alternative grid structures.
