National grid more stable under Tinubu administration – Adebayo Adelabu
By Kunle Sanni
Nigeria’s national electricity grid has become significantly stronger under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, according to Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Speaking during a ministerial briefing on Thursday, Adelabu said that key upgrades and investments, particularly by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), have improved the grid’s stability and capacity to handle higher electricity loads without collapse.
“In the past, the grid would collapse once power generation hit 5,000 megawatts,” Adelabu said. “Now, we’ve successfully evacuated 5,800 megawatts without any disruptions. The grid has remained stable and can now handle up to 8,700 megawatts.”
He credited the improved performance to recent infrastructure investments. In 2024 alone, TCN commissioned 61 new power transformers, adding a total capacity of 5,589 MVA. Nine more transformers have been installed in the first quarter of 2025 across major cities including Lagos, Benin, Bauchi, Oshogbo, Kano, and Kaduna.
“We are actively working to complete over 100 stalled TCN projects,” the minister added. “In the 2025 national budget, N25 billion has been allocated to support this effort.”
Adelabu also highlighted the role of the Presidential Power Initiative, being implemented through the FGN Power Company. He said the initiative’s pilot phase has delivered infrastructure upgrades in 13 locations, contributing an additional 700 megawatts to the national grid.
Addressing concerns over past grid disturbances, Adelabu noted that the system has seen no major disruptions in 2025 so far. “Since January, the grid has remained stable. In the event of any issues, we’re working to ensure a response time of just one to two hours,” he said.
Looking ahead, Adelabu said the government is advancing plans to regionalise the national grid, a move he believes will drastically reduce the impact of localised failures.
“With the Eastern and Western supergrid projects already in the pipeline, regionalisation will ensure that a problem in one part of the country doesn’t affect the entire national grid,” he explained.
