Nineteen governors from northern Nigeria gathered on Monday, calling for swift action and diversified energy sources following a two-week blackout affecting 17 states in the region. States hardest hit include Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, and Katsina, while others such as Sokoto, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, and Adamawa have also been impacted due to ongoing infrastructure vandalism.
The Northern States Governors’ Forum, led by Gombe Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, held an emergency meeting in Kaduna alongside regional monarchs, including the Sultan of Sokoto, to address the prolonged outage. A communiqué issued by Governor Yahaya stressed the urgent need for federal intervention and energy diversification to safeguard the region’s energy security and protect critical infrastructure.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered rapid repairs and bolstered security around the damaged Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, a crucial artery supplying electricity to the northern states. Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, briefed the President on the current crisis, confirming that the government has enlisted the army and air force to guard repair teams and prevent further damage. In addition, a federal plan proposes investments between $1-2 billion to establish solar plants across the northern states, utilizing the area’s abundant sunlight as an alternative energy source.
Key political figures and opposition parties have expressed concerns about the government’s response, with Labour Party leaders calling it a failure in policy and accusing the government of inadequate crisis management. Meanwhile, APC spokespersons assert that efforts are underway to swiftly restore power, attributing recent disruptions to sabotage rather than policy shortcomings.
As the Federal Government works to restore immediate power, it also plans a broader upgrade to the nation’s aging power grid to prevent future outages.
