The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has assured that electricity will be restored to northern Nigeria within 72 hours. This comes after 17 northern states have experienced black out for 9 days now.
While speaking to senators on Tuesday, Adelabu said that an alternative transmission through the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line which can cover 80% of affected states would be implemented as a temporary solution pending complete repairs.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria previously reported that, on October 22, the 330-kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji-Apir transmission lines tripped, causing outages across the North-East, North-West, and parts of North-Central Nigeria.
Independent System Operator Executive Director Nafisatu Ali confirmed that insurgents vandalized the Shiroro-Kaduna line, which is a critical power source for northern regions.
President Bola Tinubu has directed military support to safeguard repairs in response to the news. Adelabu however assures the restoration of electricity.
“Power will be restored to the North in two to three days. We will use the Ugwuaji-Makurdi transmission line for temporary purpose.”
Additionally, he noted that security agencies are actively working to access the vandalized grid area. Full restoration is expected within 14 days once repairs on the damaged lines are complete.
“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 added.
