The National Economic Council (NEC) has announced its intention to strengthen the implementation of the National Electrification Strategy, aiming to put an end to the recurring collapse of the national power grid.
The decision was reached at the conclusion of NEC’s 146th meeting, chaired by Vice President Shettima at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.
Shettima shared that NEC declared the formation of a National Electrification Committee to address challenges in the power sector.
He said that the committee, led by Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, will be tasked with fostering stronger state-level participation within the framework of the Electricity Reform Act 2023 and advancing the National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan.
“The National Economic Council (NEC) has resolved to reinforce implementation of the National Electrification Strategy in a bid to end the collapse of the nation’s power grid. This is just as Vice President @KashimSM who is Chairman of NEC told members of the Council that access to energy is a fundamental right and not a privilege because electricity is the oxygen of economic growth.
“Accordingly, the Council has constituted a committee on National Electrification to help address the challenges in the power sector. The formation of the committee was among decisions taken by NEC at the end of its 146th meeting on Thursday chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“The committee headed by Cross River State Governor, @officialspbo is to work towards deepening states’ engagements within the Electricity Reform Act 2023 and the National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan,” the statement read in part.
Backstory
Nairametrics previously reported in November the recurring collapse of the national grid leaving the country in widespread darkness.
- Reports revealed that the national grid collapsed ten times in 2024 so far, an extraordinary frequency of such incidents.
- Additionally, the grid suffered eight collapses in October, causing power disruptions nationwide and forcing businesses to depend heavily on self-powered generators to sustain operations.
- In response to the incident, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced plans to hold a public hearing to investigate the causes of the collapse.
- The Minister of Power acknowledged that grid collapses are sometimes unavoidable, explaining that various factors can trigger the tripping of transmission lines, ultimately leading to system failure.
However, the Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed that the government is implementing measures to minimize the frequency of grid collapses.
