The Federal Government has announced plans to restore electricity to Northern Nigeria within the next 72 hours.
On October 22, the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported an outage affecting the North-East, North-West, and parts of North-Central Nigeria after the 330-kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji-Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 tripped. Nafisatu Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator, explained that the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, supplying power to the North, was vandalized by insurgents.
Following the incident, President Bola Tinubu directed the military to secure the power lines while repairs are conducted.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, October 29 during a session with the Senate Committee on Power, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), the Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu addressed the ongoing power outage affecting the northern region.
Adelabu explained that, as a temporary measure, power would be routed through the Ugwuaji-Makurdi transmission line, covering approximately 80% of the affected states.
The Minister stated, “Power will be restored to the North in two to three days. We will use the Ugwuaji-Makurdi transmission line temporarily.”
Adelabu assured the committee that once full access is obtained, repairs would be made to the damaged lines, ensuring full restoration of power within the next 14 days.