Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has assured that customers affected by the recent power outages in northern Nigeria will not be billed for the duration.
Adelabu’s position follows recent transmission line issues.
The minister promised to meet with the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and distribution companies (DisCos) to formalize this decision.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported significant power outages in the north-east, north-west, and parts of north-central regions on October 22 after 330-kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji-Apir transmission lines tripped. Additionally, the Shiroro-Kaduna line suffered vandalism, impacting power supply in major cities like Kaduna and Kano. Another incident on October 24 involved a snapped 330 kV line in a swampy forest area of Benue State, compounding the blackout.
Following these disruptions, President Bola Tinubu directed TCN to expedite repairs and ordered the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to provide security for vulnerable transmission facilities.
Adelabu, addressing the issue, assured: “I’m going to have a meeting with the chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and all the DisCos for those days during which they suffer blackouts,” he said, adding, “There should not be billing of any sort for any customer, be it household customers, office consumers, or industrial consumers; they would be immune from billings from those periods.”
With national security support for the TCN from the Chief of Army Staff and Air Staff, Adelabu expressed optimism for a swift restoration of power, ensuring residents and businesses will not bear financial burdens for electricity they could not access.
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