The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed the ongoing collapse of the national grid to insecurity in the northern region.

Adelabu made this statement during the 2025 budget defense session with the Senate Joint Committee on Power.

The Minister explained that due to the failure to repair the damaged Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line, which has been out of service since a vandalism incident in October 2024, it is putting a significant enormous strain on the grid, leading to repeated failures.

“The Kaduna-Shiroro-Mando line was one of the two major lines transmitting power to the north. The second, the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line, was also vandalized but has been repaired. The Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line, however, remains down due to insecurity.

“This is why our grid is so fragile, as it relies on a single line, causing unnecessary strain,” Adelabu said.

The minister warned that grid collapses are likely to continue, although the government is working towards reducing their frequency and ensuring quick restoration times.

Adelabu also highlighted out the collaborative efforts of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, which he believe are crucial in addressing vandalism, one of the most significant challenges facing the power sector.

The minister announced a N2 trillion budget for the ministry and its agencies, with N229 billion allocated to the ministry. Adelabu revealed a N700billion fund for the Power Metering Initiative (PMI), aimed at significantly reducing the metering gap by next month to enhance billing transparency and reduce fraud in the system.

“We recognise the issues with full or partial grid collapses, but our focus is on reducing the time it takes to restore power. We are actively collaborating with security agencies to achieve this,” Adelabu said.

The minister also disclosed plans to invest N36billion in the distribution of transformers across the six geopolitical zones.

As part of efforts to address insecurity, Adelabu has proposed the installation of solar lights and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on highways nationwide to monitor the movements of vandals and other criminal elements, enhancing security and protecting critical infrastructure.

The proposal is included under a N200billion sub-head in the 2025 budget.