Friday, December 13, 2024

The collapse of the network is a “national shame”

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The Labor Party (LP) presidential candidate in the last election, Peter Obi, described the collapse of Nigeria's power grid as “a national shame.”

Early Tuesday, Nigeria's power grid collapsed once again, leaving several cities in the dark.

The network crashed around 9:17 am and generation dropped significantly.

In a statement posted on his X account on Tuesday, Obi described the incident as a failure of leadership and policy implementation.

“For the umpteenth time, the national grid has collapsed, plunging much of the nation into darkness and exposing the fragility of Nigeria's electricity infrastructure. This recurring disaster is a national embarrassment and a glaring testament to the failure of leadership and policy implementation at the highest levels.

“How long should Nigerians put up with a system that fails to meet one of the critical needs of a productive society?” Mr. Obi said.

He said this latest collapse of the power grid is emblematic of a leadership and government that has consistently failed to prioritize the well-being and economic well-being of the people.

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“We all know the immense importance of energy supply for the transformation of our economy. Their support for SMEs, which are the engine of job creation and a major contributor to our GDP, is immeasurable.

“Today we are the fourth largest economy in Africa, having fallen from the number one position due to leadership failures over the years, including the persistent energy crisis, which is critical compared to smaller economies,” he added.

He explained that South Africa, which is now Africa's largest economy with a GDP of around $400 billion and 30 percent of our population, generates and distributes more than 40,000 megawatts of electricity.

Secondly, he said Egypt, the second largest economy with a GDP of around $350 billion and half the population of Nigeria, generates and distributes more than 40,000 megawatts.

“Algeria, the third largest economy, with around 300 billion GDP and 20 percent of our population, generates and distributes more than 50,000 megawatts of electricity.

“Nigeria, with less GDP but more population than the three countries combined, generates and distributes less than 10,000 megawatts, and even that is plagued by frequent collapses and crises of failure,” he said.

He said this disparity in power generation is a reflection of the deep-rooted governance deficit that continues to hold back our growth and potential.

“It is time for an urgent and comprehensive reform. Nigerians deserve a government that prioritizes measurable indices of development,” he said.

TCN speaks

On Tuesday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in a statement by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the national grid experienced a partial disruption on Monday, October 14, 2024, at around 6:48 a.m. pm and noted that Efforts to fully recover the network are still ongoing.

Mbah said that although the grid recovery began immediately, with the Azura power station providing the black start, the grid recovery reached advanced stages at around 10:24 am on Tuesday, when it encountered a challenge that caused a slight setback in the recovery process.

READ ALSO: Nigeria's power grid collapses

“Despite the slight setback, TCN continued the grid recovery process, which has reached an advanced stage, ensuring massive power availability at approximately 90 per cent of its substations across the country,” said Ms. Mbah.

He said supply had been restored to the Abuja hub and other major distribution load centers across the country.

“The partial disturbance did not affect the Ibom Gas generating station, which was isolated from the grid yesterday and continued to supply areas in the south of the country, such as the 132 kV transmission substations of Eket, Ekim, Uyo and Itu during the period. .

“The investigation into the cause of the incident will be carried out as soon as the network is fully restored,” he said.

In recent years, the electricity sector has experienced many challenges in areas of electricity policy implementation, regulatory uncertainty, gas supply, transmission system limitations and significant deficiencies in energy sector planning.

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