Grid Collapse: Consumer Protection Network Faults Power Minister On Constituted Investigative Committee

… Says It’s Unnecessary, Members Improperly Constituted

The President of Consumer Protection Network, Kunle Olubiyo, has faulted the setting up Investigative committee on national grid collapses, saying that apart from being unnecessary, it was improperly constituted as the Minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu was ill advised in taking the decision.

He spoke while appearing on live programme, Arise Television News Night on Tuesday night, describing the Committee like asking someone to probe himself.

He pointed out that it was improper to constitute such a committee without a representation of the private sector electricity consumers who are most hit by the frequent national grid collapses.

Further, Olubiyo observed that it was also wrong to appoint a player in the power sector transmission chain in person of Engr. Nafisat Ali, an Executive Director, Independent System Operator (ISO) to head such committee where a member of the apex power sector regulator, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), is a member.

He maintained that the Minister does not lack ideas on the problems of the power, especially the transmission sector because there many reports on power sector available to him.

OPTIMUM TIMES reports that the Minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, had set up Investigative Committee to probe the causes of the frequent grid collapses and determine how to stabilize it.

The six-member committee are; Engr. Nafisat Ali, Executive Director, Independent System Operator (ISO), who leads the committee; Dr. Chidi Ike, Commissioner, NERC; Engr. Ishola (GM. National Control Centre (NCC); Engr. Emmanuel Nosike, Director,  Transmission, Federal Ministry of Power (FMoP);  Engr. Ali Sharifai (GM, Transmission Service Provider (TSP) and Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power.

But Olubiyo insisted that the Minister of power knows the problem with the grid collapses, alleging that funds were being diverted which could have been invested in grid infrastructure.

He faulted the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) claims of searching the cause of Monday’s transmission lines tripping up to River Benue without success and attributed it to lack of fault locators and SCADA.

He claimed that about $15 billion had been acquired between 2013 to date by the Nigerian government (not the amount invested in the NIPP) to invest in the power sector and regretted that there is nothing to show for it because of diversion.

Adelabu had constituted the forensic investigation committee  with a mandate to advise the government on necessary solutions to make the national grid robust and reliable in addition to the ongoing efforts of the government like the Presidential Power Initiatives (PPI) and the Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project (NETAP).

The Committee is to also establish the root cause of both incidents especially a review of potential sabotage on the system.

The Committee will holistically review the national grid stability and identify investments and technical capacities required to make the grid smart and resilient.