- The northern parts of the country as experienced outreach in the last seven days.
- Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, said electricity would be restored to the 17 northern states that had suffered blackouts due to vandalisation of the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line.
Mohammad Badaru, the defence minister, has asked Christopher Musa, the chief of defence staff (CDS), ensure adequate security for the repairs of affected electricity towers in the country.
On October 22, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported a power outage affecting the north-east, north-west, and parts of north-central Nigeria.
The incident occurred after the 330 kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines tripped around 4:53am “due to a fault”.
Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s general manager of public affairs, said the fault was traced to Igumale, Benue state, where a section of the transmission line had snapped in a swampy forest.
However, on Monday, TCN said insecurity delayed repair, but it is working tirelessly to restore the bulk power supply.
TCN said it is working tirelessly to restore bulk power supply in the Northern part of the country as quickly as possible despite prevailing security challenges.
In a statement by Ndidi Mbah, its general manager of public affairs, said it is working with security agencies to repair the vandalised Shiroro-Kaduna line that led to reduction of bulk electricity to Kaduna, Kano and other major cities in the north.
President Bola Tinubu expressed concern over the prolonged blackout in northern Nigeria.
In a statement on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Tinubu met with Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power, and Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA) over the blackout.
He also directed Ribadu to work with the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to deploy adequate security personnel, including aerial cover, to protect the engineers who are fixing the damaged transmission line.
In a statement on Tuesday, Henshaw Ogubike, Director of Information and Public Relations, announced that the ministry’s actions align with Tinubu’s directives.
He said Tinubu is deeply concerned about the recent grid collapse caused by third-party interference, leading to widespread power outages across Northern Nigeria.
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.
“The goal is to prioritize the repairs and ensure the grid’s functionality for the benefit of all citizens,” he said.
The Minister urged all Nigerians, particularly those in affected states, to remain patient and show understanding as efforts are underway to address the situation.
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