HURIWA Condemns Persistent National Grid Collapses, Calls for Forensic Audit

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the recent collapse of the national power grid, resulting in complete blackout across the nation.

HURIWA said the incident occurred on Sunday at 1pm, marking the first grid collapse of the year and adding to concerns about the recurring failures in the power sector.

In a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Emmanuelle Onwubiko, HURIWA said it deemed the situation utterly unacceptable, and called for immediate action to address the systemic issues that continued to plague Nigeria’s power infrastructure.

According to civil rights group, “In a shocking recurrence, the national power grid in Nigeria suffered a complete collapse, registering zero megawatts on Sunday at 1 pm, plunging the entire nation into darkness. This marks the first grid collapse of the year, adding to the concerning trend of recurring failures in the power sector.

“The power generation data obtained from the Ministry of Power revealed a significant drop from 2,407MW at 11:53 am to 31MW by noon, ultimately collapsing to zero an hour later. The widespread blackout affected various regions, with Kaduna Disco confirming power loss in Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi states.

“This grid collapse is not an isolated incident, as the country witnessed a similar crisis in December 2023, when power generation plummeted from 4,032.8MW to 43.5MW, and twice in September the same year.

“While the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) managed to restore the system on that occasion, the frequency of such collapses raises serious concerns about the reliability of the national grid.”

HURIWA stated that given the substantial investments in the power sector, the persistent grid collapses suggested either internal sabotage within the government or mismanagement of funds allocated for sector development.

The group emphasised the urgent need for an independent forensic financial audit of the electricity sector to uncover the truth behind the continuous failures.