In an update given on his Twitter handle this afternoon, Abubakar says the grid is being restored sequentially by systems operators. He also mentioned that the grid collapsed due to activities of vandals.

His post reads

”Update on National Grid We wish to notify the public that power on the grid is being restored sequentially by the System Operator as other on-grid power plants are being dispatched to cover the lost generation capacity from the Calabar power plant owned by the NPHC Ltd.

The cause of national blackout yesterday was an act of vandalism on a transmission tower on the Odukpani Ikot Ekpene 330kV double circuit transmission line thus resulting in a sudden loss of abt 400MW. This consequently led to a cascade of plant shut down across the country.”

Aliyu said this on Thursday March 3, in Abuja during the state house ministerial briefing. The minister also said that asides the low water level at the hydro dams, the ongoing maintenance work on some power plants around the country also contributed to the reduced power supply.

He said;“I would like to discuss the increased load shedding. You may have observed in Abuja and other areas in the country. With the reduction in hydro capacity during the dry season, additional loads need to be taken up by our gas plants.We are having maintenance work in the eastern axis around Odupami, leading to reduced power supply from the usually reliable NDPHC Calabar power plant, and we are having challenges at Okoloma gas station linked to AFAM 6 power plant.

“We are working with NNPC and other gas suppliers. Also to improve the pressure on the western axis, and that is precluding this unit from reaching optimum supply. These challenges are surmountable.”

Aliyu further said that government is doing everything to make available an optimum supply of gas to ensure quick restoration of power.

It disclosed this at the official opening of the 51st Annual Conference of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, adding that over N15tn would be required to bridge the country’s infrastructure deficit.

In his keynote address at the conference, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by the Minister of State for Works and Housing, Abubakar Aliyu, spoke on how the Federal Government had been intervening in some selected sectors.

He said, “On roads, the government created the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund, investing over a billion dollars in three flagship projects: the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge, and Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway. The government also approved Executive Order 7, which essentially mobilises private investment through a tax credit scheme to encourage the private sector to invest in road construction for tax rebates. Similarly, the implementation of the Highway Development and Management Initiative is ongoing. This is a PPP (public-private partnership) programme to mobilise at first over a trillion naira in private investment for the development and maintenance of 1,963km of 12 roads.”