The Federal Government has announced plans to actively engage communities across Nigeria in efforts to curb the rampant vandalism of electricity assets, a major cause of grid collapses.
This was disclosed by Adedayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power, during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time.
Olowoniyi highlighted the complexity of addressing grid collapses, attributing them to multiple factors, including aging infrastructure and persistent vandalism.
He stated, “It’s very difficult to give a specific timeline [as to when grid collapses will stop] because the issues of grid collapse are multi-fronts. One, you have the aging assets that require significant investments. And on the other side, for an already fragile grid, you now have the impacts of vandalization. So, it’s always a very difficult balance to pick when will grid collapse stop.”
FG’s Multi-Faceted Approach to Grid Stability
To address these challenges, Olowoniyi noted that the federal government is making “significant strides in investing in the national grid to ensure further reliability.”
- He further revealed that the government is collaborating with the Office of the National Security Adviser and security agencies to explore diverse strategies for combating vandalism.
- One of the key strategies under consideration is community involvement. According to Olowoniyi, the Minister of Power is prioritizing community engagement as a means of safeguarding power infrastructure.
“The Honourable Minister has thought of different ways to see how to engage those communities to see how they can also be part of protecting those assets. That will be the quickest way to actually arrest a lot of the level of vandalism that we’ve seen across the country,” he said.
- Nigeria’s transmission network spans diverse communities, making it challenging for the government alone to protect all assets.
- Engaging local communities, who are directly affected by disruptions to the power supply, could serve as a deterrent to vandalism. Community-driven protection models have proven effective in other sectors, such as oil and gas, where local stakeholders are incentivized to safeguard pipelines.
- In November 2024, the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, attributed frequent grid collapses to vandalism and lack of maintenance in the past.
Adelabu stated that most 2024 incidents resulted from vandalism and theft of power equipment.
“The Federal Government is taking the issue seriously, requiring urgent attention,” he said.
Key Highlights:
- The Federal Government plans to collaborate with local communities to safeguard electricity assets.
- Vandalism and aging infrastructure contribute significantly to Nigeria’s grid collapses.
- The Ministry of Power is working with security agencies to curb vandalism.
