“The obsession with neoliberal capitalism and privatization is what is going to kill our country. They parcelled out the power system and sold it to themselves. We don’t have an integrated national power system anymore. We’ve been doing the same thing since the mid-1980s, and it’s getting worse and worse, but our rulers obey the Americans, World Bank and IMF, like slaves! No country has developed following their model, unfortunately”.
Above is the reaction of a friend, to my article, titled, Grid collapse: Garbage in Garbage out. In summary, my friend is saying, that as far as the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, is concerned, the journey so far, is not far, and may not go far. Indeed, it is not going far. Those living in the northern part of Nigeria, particularly those living in Kano, cannot agree more, because, they have virtually lost count of the number of times they were told the transmission line has tripped. KEDCO, which is the acronym for the power distribution company of that area, is constantly dishing out notices of excuses, to justify the incessant power failures. They are still in darkness, as I write this article.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says its 330kV Ugwaji–Apir Double Circuit transmission lines 1 & 2 tripped due to a fault, leading to a power outage in several parts of northern Nigeria. According to a statement by the TCN General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the development “forced power outage affecting the communities in the North-east, North-west, and parts of North-Central. At approximately 4:53 am, the Ugwuaji–Markurdi 330kV Line 2 tripped and 243 MW on that line was transferred to Line 1 on the same route. At 4:58 am, Line 1 also tripped, resulting in a total loss of 468 MW. By around 5:15 am and 5:17 am Line 1 and Line 2 were tried, but they all tripped immediately on the same relay indication.”
To understand the “How far so far” of the journey, the reader may want to know a little, about the evolution of the Nigerian National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), in order to feel the frustration of some Nigerians. In 2004, when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the President of Nigeria, the idea of the NIPP was conceived, with the view of addressing the issues of insufficient electric power generation and excessive gas flaring from oil exploration in the Niger Delta region. Seven power plants were designed in the gas-producing states as part of the project, viz:
1. Ihovbor Power Station Benin, Edo State with a capacity of 4 x 112.5 MW.
2. Calabar Power Station, Cross River State with a capacity of 5 x 112.5112.5 MW.
3. Egbema Power Station, Imo State with a capacity of 3 x 112.5 MW.
4. Gbarain Power Station, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State with a capacity of 2 x 112.5 MW.
5. Sapele Power Station, Delta State with a capacity of 4 x 112.5 MW.
6. Omoku Power Station, Rivers State with a capacity of 2 x 112.5 MW.
7. Ikot Abasi Power Station, Akwa Ibom with a capacity of 2 x 112.5 MW. This was later replaced by Ibom Power Station, which is a 190 MW project of the Akwa Ibom State Government
Together, the projects generated contracts worth $414,000,000 for the supply of turbines and electricity generation equipment to General Electric, GE.
The NIPP project includes 11 power plants and 4 FGN Power Stations: Alaoji Power Station, Abia State, Omotosho II Power Station, Ondo State, Olorunsogo II Power Station, Ogun State, and Geregu II Power Station, Kogi State.
The scope of delivery supplied by Siemens for Geregu II included three SGT5-2000E gas turbines, three SGen5-100A generators, as well as all the electrical systems and the SPPA-T3000 control system.
The revised project involves large-scale transmission projects across all of Nigeria which are crucial to ensure power distribution from generation plants to final customers.
However, with all these efforts, energy and resources spent, the value of what is received, vis a vis what is in operation, has been in constant disharmony. This paved the way for a sustained advocacy, to relieve the Federal Government of control, and permit states to operate and regulate their electricity markets, outside the control of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. Alas, the state governments have now been empowered to do so, under the Electricity Act 2023.
But that also has come with a new challenge, as the governors have called for the refund of state governments’ full equity investments in the $10bn National Integrated Power Projects that are under the management of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company. The governors said the Federal Government should refund an equitable rate of return on their investments in the power plants as well.
While this is going on, and the power supply is turning erratic every day, the suspicion is that there is an insider connivance within the system of the NIPP, such that power consumers in the country and even the state governments, are kept in a vicious cycle by a cabal of crooks. A series of negative events are created, through these blackouts, where one builds up to reinforce the other.
And that supports the position of my friend, that, “We don’t have an integrated national power system anymore. We’ve been doing the same thing since the mid-1980s, and it’s getting worse and worse”.
