Again, the intractable electricity conundrum, by Adekunle Adekoya

MIDWEEK, one commodity that we need badly in this country, but which is perpetually in short supply forced its way into our consciousness again, as it did, 12 times last year. It is electricity, whose transmission is effected through what we all now know as the National Grid. The grid very often, behaves like what was once popularly known in indigenous culture and literature as abiku, or ogbanje. Last year, the national grid collapsed no less than 12 times, throwing businesses and homes into distress each time. Like the abiku or ogbanje, it has started collapsing this year, though I must admit that this being the last trimester of the year, it has not collapsed as generously as it did in 2024.

On Wednesday, total electricity generation dropped to 1.5 megawatts, MW 2,917.83 MW between 11 am and 12 pm.  Shortly after the collapse, the Nigeria National Grid, on its X handle that provides updates on electric power distribution announced that “System restoration is in progress.” 

In another tweet, the X account stated that the loads of all power distribution companies across the country aside Ibadan DisCo have come down to zero megawatt.

“Load” is the amount of power (in megawatts, MW) allocated from the national grid to each Electricity Distribution Company, DisCo.

Meanwhile, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, said that the national grid collapsed at about 11.23 a.m. The company made this known on its verified twitter handle in Abuja.

It said: ”Please be informed that the power outage currently being experienced is due to a loss of supply from the national grid at about 11:23 a.m. on Wednesday.”

According to the company, the outage affected electricity supply across its franchise areas.

“Be rest assured we are working closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure power is restored once the grid is stabilised.

However, the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, has blamed Wednesday’s collapse of the national grid on a tripping incident at one of the country’s power generation companies.

All the above platitudes from the various stakeholder organisations in the electricity industry amount to just one thing in my book — gas. What we want is stable, reliable electricity supply, but this is beginning to look like a mirage because it does not look as if the faction of the power elite currently in charge of national affairs has a vision or mission about how to get things right in the sector.

There is no clear-cut political vision by the ruling party as regards electricity; and without this, civil servants cannot be tasked to deliver on objectives that were never set before. That is why, for about 30 years, power generation has oscillated between 4,000 and 6,000 MW. I mean, where is the plan to generate100,000 MW in how many years? If you want a university degree, you start by taking a JAMB form, writing the UME test, then, post-UME if you hope to get admission, which is when your journey towards getting a degree actually begins.

Where is the plan to generate the megawatts? Only a few days ago, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, GERD, was inaugurated. Constructed between 2011 and 2023, the dam has an installed capacity of 5.15 gigawatts, and is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and among the 20 largest in the world. One of the objectives behind the GERD project is to export electricity to neighbouring countries. Kenya is already waiting.

What do we have here but a slew of abandoned projects in all sectors? What is the status of the Mambilla hydro-electric dam project? Where are the electricity projects that we can really call projects of vision, not driven by pecuniary interests? It is becoming clear, daily, as more and more existential issues confront us, that the present generation of political leaders are either just not patriotic enough, don’t love us their own people, or simply lack the capacity to envision good, great things for us.

The last time we had visionary leadership in this country was the in the Second Republic. All we see now are just starched agbadas flying from one airport to another attending one nocturnal meeting or the other in pursuit of filthy lucre and who gets elected into which position or not. Last May, the Tinubu administration celebrated its second anniversary in office. Of the president’s 48 ministers, only one of them advertised the achievements of his ministry — the redoubtable FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

Does it mean the other 47 didn’t achieve anything or were too ashamed to publicise their achievements? This is the crux of the matter. What is for the good people of Nigeria from the Power Ministry? When will we get out of the electricity morass signposted by endless grid collapses? And the legislature that is supposed to keep the executive on its toes also seemed to be comatose.

Regarding electricity, the Senate a few days ago threatened to abolish segregation of the  electricity market into bands by the DISCOs. That was after how many years they have done it? Is it now that they have just woken up to the criminal realities of institutionalising inequality with the Band A, B, C, D, thing? The DISCOs perpetrated this horror on Nigerians, in naked pursuit of money, while they looked on. What happened to oversight? What manner of people do we have in charge of our country? God save us! TGIF.

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