FG Vows to End Northern Blackout by November 12

The Federal Government has pledged to expedite efforts to restore electricity across Northern Nigeria, following widespread blackouts in 17 affected states. Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, assured that full power restoration would be achieved within 14 days, targeting November 12, 2024. During a Senate briefing on Tuesday, Adelabu also noted that partial power restoration is expected within the next three days.

This follows comments from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which had previously announced an earlier timeline, predicting repairs would be completed within five days by November 3. The TCN Managing Director, Sule Abdulaziz, confirmed that 400 megawatts of power would be distributed to specific areas within 24 hours, with plans to scale up to 600 megawatts by Sunday.

The electricity disruption resulted from the vandalization of the critical 330kV Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which supplies power to the northern region. Efforts to restore this line faced security threats, including an incident where bandits laid siege to the repair site, requiring engineers to operate under military escort and limit their hours for safety. Abdulaziz explained that as of now, only partial repairs have been completed, with full restoration pending.

In response to the security challenges hindering repairs, President Bola Tinubu directed the TCN to expedite repairs with added security support from the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The government has also called for new legislation to classify vandalization of electricity infrastructure as a capital offense, and the Power Minister recommended a ban on the sale of metal scrap, which he noted incentivizes such criminal acts.

Meanwhile, northern governors have renewed calls for energy diversification to mitigate frequent power disruptions. The current blackout has impacted millions across the North, particularly in states such as Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, and Katsina, which have been without power for over two weeks.