The national electricity grid in Nigeria will continue to face frequent collapses due to the government’s inability to repair a key transmission line in the north, which has been compromised by persistent insecurity.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during the 2025 budget defence session with the Senate Joint Committee on Power.

Adelabu highlighted the impact of the damaged Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line, which has been out of service since an act of vandalism in October 2024. The damage has placed significant pressure on the grid, leading to regular collapses. “The Kaduna-Shiroro-Mando line was one of two major lines transmitting power to the north. The other, the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line, was also vandalised but has since been repaired. The Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line, however, remains down due to insecurity,” Adelabu explained.

“This is why our grid is so fragile, as it depends on a single line, creating unnecessary strain,” he added.

While grid collapses are expected to persist, Adelabu emphasised the government’s focus on reducing their frequency and improving power restoration times. He also noted the importance of collaboration with the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in tackling the problem of vandalism, which remains one of the most significant challenges in the power sector.

The minister also unveiled a N2 trillion budget for the ministry and its agencies, with N229 billion allocated to the ministry itself. Additionally, N700 billion has been earmarked for the Power Metering Initiative (PMI), which aims to close the metering gap by next month to enhance billing transparency and reduce fraud.

“We are aware of the issues with grid collapses, but our focus is on reducing the time it takes to restore power,” Adelabu stated. “We are working closely with security agencies to address this.”

Plans were also announced to invest N36 billion in the distribution of transformers across the six geopolitical zones. As part of efforts to tackle insecurity, Adelabu proposed the installation of solar lights and CCTV cameras on highways nationwide to monitor the movements of vandals and other criminals, thus protecting critical infrastructure. This proposal is part of a N200 billion allocation in the 2025 budget.