The Coalition of Northern Groups has strongly condemned the prolonged power outage which has plagued parts of northern Nigeria, crippling businesses and leaving millions without electricity.
The outage resulted from vandalism on the Shiroro Power Line, which feeds the Kaduna Station distributing power to other northern states.
CNG’s investigation revealed that two towers along this line have not received timely attention, exacerbating the problem.
The coalition expressed dismay over the lack of progress in addressing the issue, despite the establishment of the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme. This program aimed to improve transmission flexibility with a budget of $1.661 billion, according to Daily Trust.
CNG highlighted the significant infrastructure gap in the north, particularly in the North-west and North-east regions.
The region relies on only two 330kV lines, whereas Lagos has eight power lines. This disparity reflects long-standing neglect in national power infrastructure investment.
The current Disco load allocation further compounds the issue, with northern states receiving significantly lower allocations. For instance, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, and Yola Disco’s receive a combined 160 MW, while Lagos’s Eko and Ikeja Disco’s receive 1,400 MW.
The coalition urged the federal government, Transmission Company of Nigeria, northern governors, and lawmakers to expedite efforts to restore power to the north. They demanded a comprehensive review of the electricity distribution framework to ensure fair access to power across all regions.
The prolonged outage has pushed industries to the brink of collapse, with businesses struggling to survive. CNG’s call to action seeks to address the immediate power crisis and ensure long-term equitable power distribution.
In a statement by its national coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, the coalition said, “We learnt too that the first other line has been faulty for months. Yet, no effort to fix it could have saved the current avoidable situation.
“We are particularly disheartened to learn that two towers along this line have not received serious attention at the beginning of the problem to promptly restore power. Furthermore, the only alternative source of supply, the Jos line, has repeatedly tripped, which the TCN currently said is working to fix, but cannot bring about a lasting solution. The current state of affairs is not just unacceptable but deeply alarming.
“Despite the establishment of the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP) aimed at creating flexibility in transmission with a budget of $1.661 billion, mismanagement has hindered its progress.”
CNG said the north, which accounts for a significant portion of Nigeria’s population and economic activity, is shamefully underserved in terms of electricity infrastructure and distribution.
“The region relies on only two 330kV lines while Lagos alone benefits from eight power lines. This disparity reflects a pattern of long-standing neglect and imbalance in national power infrastructure investment.”
It noted with dismay that the current DisCo load allocation is alarmingly skewed against the north.
“DisCos operating across the north—including Jos (60 MW), Kaduna (50 MW), Kano (20 MW) and Yola (30 MW) out of the existing 4,249 MW capacity. In stark contrast, Lagos’s Eko and Ikeja DisCos cumulatively receive about 1,400 MW, while Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, and Port Harcourt also benefit from significantly higher allocations. This current outage has, in the last 120 hours, pushed industries to the brink of collapse, with businesses suffocating under prolonged power failure.”
