The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has emphasized the urgent need for establishing regional power grids in Nigeria to mitigate the frequent grid collapses that have plagued the country’s electricity supply. During the unveiling of Hexing Livoltek, an electricity meter manufacturing company located in the Lekki area of Lagos State, Adelabu outlined the critical state of the nation’s power infrastructure and the necessity for a decentralized approach.
Adelabu pointed out that the current reliance on a single national grid makes the entire country vulnerable to widespread outages whenever there is a disturbance. He stated, “Grid collapses are almost inevitable in Nigeria given the deplorable state of the country’s power infrastructure.” He stressed that having multiple power grids in various regions or states would provide the stability needed to ensure a more reliable electricity supply.
The Minister noted that the decentralization of the power sector, enabled by the Electricity Act signed by President Bola Tinubu in 2023, is a pivotal step towards building regional power grids. “This Electricity Act has decentralized power. It has enabled all the subnational governments, the state government, and the local government to participate in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity,” Adelabu explained.
He further elaborated that moving towards regional and potentially state-specific power grids would ensure that disruptions in one area would not compromise the electricity supply for the entire nation. “We all rely on a single national grid today; if there is a disturbance of the national grid, it affects all 36 states. It shouldn’t be like that,” he added.
The Minister’s comments come as Nigeria continues to grapple with power shortages and infrastructure challenges that hinder economic growth and development. The establishment of regional grids is seen as a vital solution to enhance electricity access and reliability for the population.
As the country transitions to a more decentralized power structure, stakeholders in the energy sector and local governments are urged to collaborate on the necessary investments and infrastructure developments to bring this vision to fruition.
