Ageing infrastructure responsible for national grid failure, stakeholders insist

Stakeholders in the electricity sector have criticised the state of Nigeria’s national electricity transmission network, attributing its frequent failures to outdated infrastructure, lack of modernisation and political interference.

“At this moment in time, we should be talking about installing SCADA systems and smart grid technologies, not struggling with failures caused by a single current transformer knocking out the entire grid,” he said.
  
The MESL chief noted the presence of equipment that has been in operation for 40 to 50 years, which has long surpassed efficiency benchmarks and cannot support the transition to modern grid operations. 
  
According to him, even if these old systems function, they are no longer efficient, and their lack of adaptability to modernisation standards is a serious concern.
  
Lamu also pointed out a glaring absence of proactive maintenance programmes, noting that many grid failures occur without warning due to inadequate protection systems. 

Lamu noted that while the generation and distribution sectors have been privatised to encourage efficiency and investment, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) remains under government control, creating a disconnect in operations.
  
“This lack of synergy—what we call a ‘handshake’—between the privatised sectors and TCN hampers overall efficiency. As a private operator, I must deliver returns to shareholders and cannot afford downtime. But TCN, constrained by political interference, does not operate under the same pressure, which weakens the entire chain.” Lamu said.

He argued that political interference limits TCN’s ability to make critical management decisions and effectively utilize limited funds. Lamu said “When there are no consequences for poor performance, inefficiencies will persist,” he warned.  On the way forward, Lamu recommended bringing in private operators to manage the grid while maintaining government ownership. 
  
“Other countries successfully manage critical national assets by engaging competent private operators. This attracts investment, and investors ensure assets are well-managed to protect their interests,” he noted.
   
He dismissed concerns that privatising the transmission sector would compromise national security, pointing to his company’s management of government-owned hydro plants.