Worried about the recent collapse of the National Power Grid which plunged the country into darkness, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has set up a forensic investigative committee to address the issue.
Ripples Nigeria reports that the national grid has collapsed three times in the last one week and has collapsed eight times in 2024.
The six-man committee will be led by Engr. Nafisat Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator (ISO), and has been tasked with making the national grid more robust and resilient.
Others are “Chidi Ike, commissioner, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Engr. Ishola (GM), National Control Centre (NCC) , Engr. Emmanuel Nosike, Director, Transmission, Federal Ministry of Power (FMoP), Engr. Ali Sharifai (GM, Transmission Service Provider (TSP) and Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power”.
This development was announced in a statement by his Special Adviser, Bolaji Tunji, on Tuesday.
Adelabu expressed his displeasure, warning that these incidents were “capable of rubbishing the giant strides made in the last one year which has led to an increased generation and distribution of 5,527 megawatts, a record generation in three years”.
He added that the forensic investigation committee are mandated to advise the government on necessary solutions to make the national grid robust and reliable.
“The Committee is to also establish the root cause of both incidents especially a review of potential sabotage on the system,” Tunji said.
“The Committee will holistically review the national grid stability and identify investments and technical capacities required to make the grid smart and resilient.”
The committee will also review ongoing government efforts, such as the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) and the Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project (NETAP), to ensure grid stability.
“The team is expected to present a report to the Honourable Minister by November 1, 2024,” Tunji added