Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), expressed deep concern over widespread power outages in northern Nigeria caused by vandalism of transmission lines. In a statement made on Monday via X, he emphasized that many regions remain in total darkness due to the disruption of the 330 kilovolt (kV) Shiroro-Kaduna power line, which supplies electricity to Kano, Kaduna, and other areas.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported a significant outage affecting the north-east, north-west, and parts of north-central Nigeria on October 22, following a fault that occurred at 4:53 AM. Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s general manager of public affairs, identified the issue as a snapped transmission line in a swampy area of Igumale, Benue State.

Kwankwaso highlighted the detrimental impact of these outages and the rising costs of petrol and diesel on households and businesses. He urged private investors and state governments to seek alternative energy sources to alleviate the pressing energy crisis. 

“It is very disheartening that many parts of Northern Nigeria are in total darkness today due to vandalism on important power lines,” he stated. “This situation has been exacerbated by the high costs of fuel, which have plunged homes into darkness and forced factories to shut down.”

He called for a shift towards investing in alternative power solutions, referencing successful initiatives in Kano, such as the installation of turbines at the Challawa Gorge and Tiga Dams. 

In a related interview on Channels TV, Sule Abdulaziz, CEO of TCN, clarified that not all national grid failures can be attributed to TCN, as issues can arise in generation, transmission, or distribution.

Source: The Cable Nigeria