The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has set a target to fully restore power to most parts of northern Nigeria by Sunday, 3 November 2024, after significant transmission line damage led to a regional blackout.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, TCN’s managing director, Sule Abdulaziz, assured that engineers were working diligently to repair critical infrastructure and restore the northern region’s electricity supply. The development has left millions without power and brought economic activities in the region to a near standstill.
As an immediate measure, TCN said it would transmit 400 megawatts of power from Benue-Enugu lines to select areas within the next 24 hours while efforts are on to restore power supply to the entire region in 2-week time.
The blackout began on 22 October after the 330-kilovolt Ugwuaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 tripped, affecting the north-east, north-west, and parts of north-central. The outage worsened as TCN reported that the Shiroro-Kaduna line had been vandalised, significantly reducing bulk electricity to major cities like Kaduna and Kano. Complications continued two days later with a snapped 330kV transmission line in Benue State.
In response to the recurring power outages caused by vandalism and security issues affecting Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure, the federal government said it has commenced processes to procure helicopters to safeguard critical transmission lines and facilities across the country. “So there was a proposal we gave two years ago to buy a new chopper; it’s still ongoing. Number one, we need the finances and number two, the approvals,” Abdulaziz stated.
This was as minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu called for a ban on sale of scrapped metals like electricity cables, polls and other installations to discourage the vandalisation of electrical facilities across the country. He clamoured for a legislative regulation that will ensure stiffer penalties on electricity vandals to serve deterrence to intending ones. “It has got to stop. Whether you call it capital punishment or not, I just think there has to be a stiffer penalty for electricity vandals; not this two or three years jail term or an option of fine,” he stated yesterday.
TCN’s Abdulaziz explained that ongoing security challenges have delayed repairs, with engineers requiring military escorts to access the damaged areas safely. He said, each day, work ends by 6 pm to ensure safety, as engineers are transported to secure locations overnight before resuming the next morning.
President Bola Tinubu had on Monday directed TCN to speed up repairs and instructed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to provide additional security support to facilitate swift restoration efforts.
Abdulaziz noted that repairs to the Ugwuaji–Apir line would enable the transmission of 500 to 600 megawatts of power by Sunday, adding that “restoring one of these lines will allow TCN to wheel about 400 MW of power through that corridor.” Full restoration of the northern grid is anticipated once the second line, which suffered extensive vandalism, is also repaired.
“With both lines operational, we expect to distribute substantial power to Jos, Kaduna, and Kano, relieving the severe impact of the outage,” Abdulaziz added.
TCN’s ongoing efforts underscore the challenges of maintaining secure infrastructure in volatile areas and highlight the broader need for a resilient energy supply network to avoid future disruptions.
Special assistant to the president on community engagement, Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai appealed to the affected people to remain patient with the authorities to fix the issues. “Our people should be calm. By God’s grace, power will be restored in a couple of days.”
