- Massive Power Outage: Seventeen of Nigeria’s northern states have endured a severe blackout for over two weeks, with states like Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, and Gombe among the most affected. Only Niger and Kwara states have retained power.
- Economic Strain: The prolonged outage is paralysing commercial activities across the region, disrupting businesses, and impacting economic stability.
- Cause of the Blackout: Authorities attribute the blackout to deliberate acts of vandalism, particularly damage to the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, a critical artery in northern Nigeria’s power infrastructure.
- Governors’ Appeal for Action: Northern governors, led by Gombe State’s Muhammadu Yahaya, urgently appealed for federal intervention, citing the need for additional transmission lines and energy diversification to strengthen the region’s energy security.
- Presidential Response: President Bola Tinubu directed the Minister of Power to expedite repairs, further authorising the deployment of military security to protect engineers and prevent further acts of sabotage.
- Security Challenge: Repair efforts have been delayed due to security concerns for workers. To safeguard the repair process, a coordinated response involving the National Security Adviser and military personnel has been initiated.
- Call for Energy Diversification: Leaders, including former presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, emphasised the necessity of alternative energy investments, highlighting successful projects like the hydroelectric turbines at Challawa Gorge in Kano as examples of local resilience.
- National Infrastructure Strain: Nigeria’s aging power infrastructure compounds the crisis. Decades-old lines, transformers, and substations present ongoing risks to power reliability, with the government acknowledging a dire need for structural upgrades.
- Investment in Solar Power: The federal government announced a commitment from financiers to invest between $1bn and $2bn in solar energy, aiming to install 50MW in each of the 19 northern states, leveraging the region’s ample sunlight to relieve the burden on the national grid.
- Public and Political Reactions: The blackout has sparked political critique, with opposition voices questioning the government’s policy effectiveness and response time. Meanwhile, the ruling APC maintains that improvements in power are underway, though security and infrastructure challenges remain pressing issues.
