Sule Abdulaziz, the Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has emphasized that the TCN should not be solely blamed for the recurring national grid collapses in Nigeria. In an interview on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, Abdulaziz stated that various factors can lead to grid failures, including problems with generation, transmission, and distribution.
“While TCN manages the grid, a system collapse doesn’t necessarily mean the fault lies entirely with TCN,” he explained. “It could stem from generation, transmission, or distribution issues, and some failures may even result from external disasters.”
Commenting on recent grid failures, Abdulaziz mentioned that disturbances had occurred twice in the past week. “The grid experienced disturbances on Monday and Saturday,” he said. However, he clarified that reports of another collapse on Tuesday, October 15, were inaccurate. “There were claims of a grid collapse on Tuesday, but that’s not true. On Monday, we were working to restore the grid and faced a setback, but it wasn’t a collapse.”
Abdulaziz acknowledged the need for more work to reduce grid collapses but highlighted improvements since 2015. “The frequency of grid collapses has decreased. In fact, from 2022, we went over a year and a half without any grid failures. We are addressing the issues step by step.”
He also stressed the need for significant investment in Nigeria’s aging transmission infrastructure, some of which is 40 to 50 years old. “It’s unrealistic to expect such old equipment to function perfectly,” he said, adding that investment in new infrastructure must be continuous. “We’re gradually replacing outdated equipment, but it’s a process that takes time.”
Abdulaziz noted that while some projects are funded by the federal budget, most of the maintenance is financed through internally generated revenue (IGR). “The majority of the funds for maintenance come from our IGR, with only a few projects supported by the federal budget.”
In closing, he acknowledged the challenges of upgrading the entire grid at once, stating, “We schedule maintenance and equipment replacement every year as part of a gradual process.”
