Why there’s a delay in fixing power outage in Northern Nigeria – TCN

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has provided reasons for the delay in restoring power to several major cities in Northern Nigeria following a recent outage.

In a statement on Sunday, the TCN attributed the delay to the current security challenges in the region, which have hindered necessary repairs. TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah noted that the company is collaborating with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to secure the area, allowing engineers to begin repairs.

Mbah highlighted that the vandalism of the Shiroro-Kaduna line has reduced electricity supply to Kaduna, Kano, and other key northern cities, but efforts are underway to repair the damaged infrastructure.

“TCN would like to state categorically that it is working diligently to restore bulk power supply as quickly as possible despite prevailing security challenges.

“The Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, which supplies power to Northern Nigeria, was vandalized by insurgents & in response, TCN has partnered with the National Security Adviser’s office to secure the area, enabling her engineers to work safely on the restoration,” the statement read.

The statement added that the TCN Executive Director (Independent System Operator), Engr. (Mrs) Nafisatu Ali noted that deploying engineers without security support is not feasible, given the risks in the region.

She, however, allayed any fear that restoration would be indefinite, stressing that TCN is already working round the clock to ensure the quick restoration of power supply.

“The current outage affecting Northern states for several days now is a result of vandalism of the Shiroro-Mando transmission line, a critical infrastructure that supplies electricity to the region. Prevailing insecurity in the area has delayed the immediate repair necessary to restore supply.

However, as a temporary measure, TCN had rerouted bulk power supply through the Ugwuaji-Apir 330kV line, which recently snapped. TCN has been collaborating closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to work with our engineers to access the vandalism site to enable them to effect necessary repairs. This is vital to ensure the safety of lives during the repairs,” the statement concluded.