The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced that electricity would be restored to Northern Nigeria within three days. Speaking to senators on Tuesday, Adelabu addressed the recent power outage affecting the region, which has been compounded by frequent grid collapses nationwide.
The disruption began on October 22 when the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported an outage across the North-East, North-West, and parts of North-Central Nigeria due to a trip in the 330-kilovolt Ugwaji-Apir transmission lines. According to the Independent System Operator’s Executive Director, Nafisatu Ali, the Shiroro-Kaduna line, critical for Northern power supply, was vandalized by insurgents.
In response, President Bola Tinubu has ordered military support to secure repair operations. Adelabu noted that power would temporarily be rerouted through the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line, which could cover 80% of the affected areas, as efforts are made to restore full functionality.
“Power will be restored to the North within the next two to three days using the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line temporarily,” Adelabu stated, adding that security agencies are assisting in accessing the damaged grid. Full repairs on the vandalized lines are expected within 14 days, with power anticipated to be fully restored across Northern Nigeria shortly after.
