For The Third Time In A Week, National Grid Collapses Again
Nigeria’s power grid collapsed on Saturday, causing a nationwide blackout.
According to data obtained from the Nigerian system operator’s portal, the power grid recorded zero megawatts (MW) as of 9:10 a.m. today.
This is the third time in a week that the power grid has experienced a system failure.
However, the national power grid has failed eight times in 2024, with the first failure occurring on February 4.
This was followed by March 28, April 15, July 6, and August 5.
Nigerians also experienced power outages on October 14 and 15.
On May 1, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced that the number of grid collapses in Nigeria had decreased significantly.
According to TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah, grid disruptions have decreased by 76.47% in five years.
Minister of Electricity Adebayo Adelabu said that frequent system failures in the national power grid are inevitable because of the aging infrastructure.
Minister Adelabu said that increased investment in power infrastructure will prevent future system collapses.
He also advocated decentralization of the power sector, saying that having multiple power grids in a region or state would ensure that a power outage in one area would not affect the entire country.
The minister said that the country is so dependent on a single power grid that if the grid were to fail, all 36 states would be affected.
Adelabu further stated that the Electricity Law decentralized power and allowed all state and local governments to participate in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.
