Power outage persists as Nigeria masks ‘grid collapse’

For the past five days, millions of Nigerians have been left in the dark as a nationwide power outage continues to cripple daily life. However, this is no longer called ‘grid collapse’ but ‘grid disturbance,’ according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

In the bustling streets of Lagos, the hum of generators has become the soundtrack of survival. Small business owners, hospitals, and households are grappling with the high cost of alternative power sources, as the national grid remains unreliable. For many, the outage is more than an inconvenience; it’s a threat to livelihoods and lives.

“I run a small bakery, and without electricity, I can’t power my ovens,” said Funke Adebayo, a mother of three in Ikeja. “I have lost over N50,000 worth of perishable goods. How do I explain this to my children? How do we survive?”

So far this year, Nigeria has recorded two official grid disturbances; first in February 12 and the latest in March 7. Grid disturbance is now another term used to downplay the effect of partial collapse.

Since March 9, Lagos and Abuja have been experiencing blackouts on different levels, ranging from transmission faults to reduced power allocation, leading to load shedding.

“Why won’t they just tell us the truth?” asked Chinedu Okeke, a taxi driver. “We know it’s a grid collapse. We’ve seen it before. Hiding it doesn’t solve the problem. It just makes us lose trust in the system.”

Read also: Power outage raises grid collapse concerns

As the outage persists, social media has become a platform for frustration, with the hashtag.

Late Sunday, March 9, Ikeja Electric stated: “We regret to inform you that there has been a significant load-shedding exercise across Ikeja Electric’s franchise areas due to a fault on a transmission infrastructure. This has resulted in widespread power supply disruptions and instability.

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) engineers are currently working tirelessly to resolve the issue and restore normal power supply as soon as possible.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and understanding during this period. Further updates will be provided as we receive more information on the restoration efforts.”

The following morning, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, the other DisCo in Lagos, confirmed reduced power allocation and load-shedding in Lagos.

The DisCo stated: “This is to kindly update you that we are still experiencing reduced power allocation from our TCN partners due to faults on the 330kV lines feeding the Lagos region.

“The situation has resulted in the continued load-shedding across our network leading to the current power situation you are experiencing.

“Rest assured that we are taking all necessary steps to address the situation as we work closely with TCN and other partners to resolve the issue and ensure a more stable power supply soonest.”

In Abuja, more than 20 communities are currently experiencing blackouts over technical and feeder faults, according to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.

“Dear valued customers in Jabi, kado, Life Camp, Idu, karmo, citec Mbora, Airport Road, Nile university, Karimajiji, Kuchingoro communities, Lugbe FHA 1, NIA Senior and Junior, Baba Gida Market, Mr Biggs, Tipper Garage, Okada Bridge and Peace Village, Lugbe FHA 2, AMAC Market, New Site Leg, Living Faith Leg, CBN Estate, Sharon leg, 1R Estate, NNPC, T.Pumpy, Rebando Football Arena and surrounding areas,” AEDC stated on Monday.

“We regret to inform you that the power outage is due to a technical fault on the feeder serving these areas. Our dedicated technical team is working tirelessly to restore power as quickly as possible.”

Read also: Eko, Ikeja DisCos face June transition deadline to Lagos electricity

Simplifying the terminologies

‘Grid disturbance’ refers to minor disruptions in the grid’s normal operation, such as fluctuations in voltage or frequency. These disturbances may not lead to a complete loss of power but can cause instability in the system. They are often temporary and can be resolved without significant impact on consumers.

System outage, on the other hand, occurs when a specific part of the grid experiences a loss of power supply. This could be due to equipment failure, maintenance, or localised issues. Unlike a grid collapse, a system outage is usually confined to a particular area or region and does not affect the entire grid.

The commission revealed that a grid collapse (partial or full) is the most severe scenario, where the entire grid (or a significant portion of it) fails, leading to widespread power outages. A partial collapse affects only certain sections of the grid, while a full collapse results in a total blackout across the network.

According to the NERC, grid collapses are often caused by cascading failures, where an initial fault triggers a chain reaction of failures throughout the system.

Band A customers’ fume

The ongoing incessant power outages have caused some Band A customers to task the DisCos to either step up and meet the required hours or automatically downgrade their feeders.

Nigerian musician and rapper, Olanrewaju Ogunmefun, popularly known as Vector, took to X to on Monday to tweet his grievances on the issue.

He said, “Today, the people are being forced into Band A tariffs when the service is not Band A. It is suspected that this titular upgrade is motivated (more) by business profit returns over commitment to delivering appropriate service to the customers.

“I am openly calling the attention of the governor of the state within which I reside (@jidesanwoolu) to this;

“The economy hasn’t been easy for decent earning citizens and by this, the government is expected to help its citizens regulate any unlawful ‘hustle’ of their pockets.”

He noted that Nigerians shouldn’t be fuelling generators at high fuel costs to charge inverters while paying ridiculously high fees for electricity they don’t get.

NERC’s directive to DisCos

Last November, the NERC directed the electricity distribution companies to downgrade customers in the Band A categories if they do not have enough capacity for supplies.

Dafe Akpeneye, commissioner, Licensing and Legal for NERC, said if the discos cannot meet the promised 20 hours to Band A customers, the customers are to immediately be downgraded to the level for which the discos can meet supplies.

“With regards to the migration order is not elective to the instance of the customer. The disco needs to make an application and ensure that they can supply power to customers in Band A.

“If Discos can’t supply such customers, the discos have to downgrade such customers to meet what they can provide.

“The distribution can distribute what is only available on the grid. So when there is no supply to the grid, the discos can’t meet those supply commitments. But the grid has been resolved and we hope supply can improve, and when they can’t, the discos have to downgrade such customers,” Akpeneye said.