Northern Nigeria’s electricity to be restored within 72 hours – Minister

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced on Tuesday that electricity will be restored to Northern Nigeria within the next three days, following recent power outages impacting the region.

Adelabu made this disclosure while addressing senators’ concerns over the power disruptions and frequent grid collapses affecting northern areas.

The outage, reported on October 22 by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, resulted from the tripping of the 330-kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji-Apir transmission lines, affecting the North-East, North-West, and parts of North-Central Nigeria.

The Executive Director of the Independent System Operator, Nafisatu Ali, explained that the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, a critical supply line for northern states, had been vandalized by insurgents.

To expedite restoration, President Bola Tinubu instructed the military to secure workers during the repair process.

Adelabu confirmed that the Ugwuaji-Makurdi transmission line will be used temporarily to supply electricity to around 80% of the affected regions until the main lines are fully repaired.

“Power will be restored to the North in two to three days. We will use the Ugwuaji-Makurdi transmission line for temporary purpose,” Adelabu said.

He also noted ongoing efforts to secure access to the damaged grid with military support, aiming for a complete restoration once the lines are repaired.

“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,” Adelabu assured.