| By Adejumo Adekunle –
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has initiated a forensic investigation to tackle the frequent collapses of the national grid. According to a statement by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu expressed serious concern over the recurring disruptions that left parts of the country in darkness twice within the past week.
In response, the minister convened an urgent meeting over the weekend with key figures from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to address the issue.
Adelabu voiced his frustration at the grid failures, emphasizing that they could undermine the significant progress made in the past year, during which electricity generation and distribution hit a record high of 5,527 megawatts—the highest in three years.
As part of efforts to resolve the issue, Adelabu formed a forensic investigative committee tasked with providing recommendations to enhance the grid’s reliability and stability. This is in line with ongoing initiatives like the Presidential Power Initiative and the Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project. The committee will also investigate whether sabotage played a role in the recent grid disturbances.
Additionally, a technical team has been deployed to assess vulnerable points in the national grid and propose solutions to prevent future disruptions. The minister explained that the partial collapse on October 14 was caused by a line trip at the Jebba Transmission Substation, while another fault occurred at the Osogbo Substation. Efforts to restore the grid on the following day led to further challenges, but full power was eventually restored on October 16.
Contrary to reports, there was no grid collapse on October 15; the issues were linked to ongoing restoration efforts. A protective shutdown on October 19, following a transformer explosion at Jebba, was quickly resolved within two hours. Adelabu clarified that these were grid disturbances, not full collapses.
A preliminary review of the Jebba incident pointed to equipment failure due to aging infrastructure. The six-member forensic committee, which includes experts from NERC, TCN, and the Federal Ministry of Power, is expected to submit its findings by November 1, 2024.
