Following the presidential directive on the current blackout in the northern part of Nigeria, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said the challenge will be temporarily fixed, and consequently, power will be restored within the next 72 days.
Adelabu disclosed this Tuesday while responding to questions from senators at the National Assembly, on the power outage affecting the region and the recurring grid collapses across the country.
On October 22, the Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN) 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 vandalised by insurgents.
In his response, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Monday, directed the military to provide security for a team of engineers fixing the faulty line.
…Adelabu assures
And appearing before the lawmakers, Mr. Adelabu said as a temporary measure, 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 purpose,” he said.
He said efforts were 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. 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.” he stressed.
…TCN media parley
Also speaking at the TCN-organised media parley Tuesday in Abuja, the minister called for an enactment of a legislation to make vandalisation of electricity transmission installations a capital offence.
“There must be stiffer penalties. There has to be stiffer penalties, you said capital punishment, yes, maybe. It may not just be one month, two months or such fines. Those are too petty,” he said.
He similarly advocated the ban on sale of scraps (metals) in the country, saying the availability of willing buyers was a major reason that encouraged vandalisation of electricity assets.
While describing the vandalisation of electrical assets as an act of terrorism, he said criminalising the act will greatly reduce the attack on power infrastructure.
Also giving a similar assurance at the parley, the TCN said the wave of insecurity was slowing down restoration work on the Apir-Ugaji line.
Managing Director TCN Engr. Abdulaziz Sule said the team of engineers fixing the fault, under full security cover, was always leaving the site at about 6.00pm.
He said: “When the Shororo-Mando line is out, the other gateway used to feed the northern part of the country is using Ugwaji-Apir line. But unfortunately, that line was also vandalized. We have line one and line two. There is a video we posted on social media and you will see how those cables were cut.”
“For line two, almost five span of the line was vandalized. As I am talking to you now, our engineers have been working to make sure that they restore that line. But even in that area, we have to get a military escort before our people can work. Anytime it is getting to 6 p.m., they have to leave the place and go back to a safe place, sleep there and come back in the morning.
“As I am talking to you now, line one, which can carry 400 megawatts, is going to be ready between today and tomorrow. The second line, which five span was vandalized, is going to be ready latest by Sunday, that is in five days’ time.
“The Honorable Minister also has explained this in the State House yesterday. So once we complete these two lines, we will be able to send at least 500 to 600 megawatts to the northern region. This is where we are now,” Sule said.
Asked what the TCN was stop the vandalism on the transmission line, he said, “we have been cooperating with owners of the land, that’s with the local people. We have also been cooperating with the security agencies, with civil defense, with the Nigerian Police and with the Army to make sure that they patrol our transmission line.
“We also used to engage locals, even provide them with transportation and phone so that if they see anything happening in our transmission line, they will quickly call us. So, we are working on that.”
…Badaru speaks on security cover
And in line with President Tinubu’s directive, the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Tuesday, directed the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa to provide security for the team of engineers fixing the electricity tower.
The minister said this in a statement by his personal assistant on media and publicity, Malam Mati Ali, a copy of which was made available to Blueprint.
The directive “was in conformity with the directives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, who is very concerned about this development on the recent collapse of the grid due to third party interference which resulted in widespread power outages across Northern Nigeria, causing significant disruptions to citizens lives.
“To prevent interference from non-state actors, the Minister has directed the Chief of Defence Staff to provide adequate security for the workers to repair this critical national infrastructure.
“According to the Minister, the goal is to prioritize the repairs and ensure the grid’s functionality for the benefit of all citizens.
“The Minister urges all Nigerians, particularly those in affected states, to remain patient and show understanding as efforts are underway to address the situation.”
…Barau at plenary
Earlier at Tuesday plenary, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin also spoke on the power outage in the North and efforts by the security team to give cover to the TCN at the location.
He said : ” Let me seize the opportunity to inform the Senate that the leadership of the Senate is concerned about the lack of electricity supply in the northern part of this country.
“This is because the transmission line, which supplies power to the North, has been vandalised and it has become a problem for the TCN staff to get it restored because that area is being occupied by terrorists.
“Security agencies are working to get to the spot and eradicate or remove the threat that has been there for a while. It’s an arrangement that will not be said to the public because that would compromise the arrangement or the preparation the security agencies are making to deal with the matter.
“So, the President has ordered and directed the security agencies to do all within their powers to ensure they deal with that threat.”