By Anthony Isaac, Abuja
Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has called on the National Assembly to enact stricter laws to protect Nigeria’s power infrastructure, describing vandalism and energy theft as major threats to the nation’s electricity stability.
Adelabu made the appeal at a two-day retreat organized by the Senate Committee on Power. In a statement released by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, the Minister argued that vandalism should be classified as a criminal offense, not a civil one.
“We need more stringent legislation. Our towers are being toppled, meters tampered with, and critical infrastructure destroyed—this cannot continue,” Adelabu said.
Despite these challenges, Adelabu highlighted the improvement in grid stability, noting that Nigeria has recorded no system collapse since January.
“This stability is not by accident—it’s the result of hard work and significant investment. In 2024 alone, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) installed 61 transformers. So far in 2025, another 13 have been installed. These transformers, some as large as 300 megawatts, cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” he explained.
However, he warned that these assets remain vulnerable to sabotage without legal and community protection.
The Minister also raised concerns over funding challenges at TCN, which operates solely on its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
“Their IGR can barely cover salaries, let alone maintain or expand infrastructure. TCN needs to be included in federal budget appropriations,” Adelabu urged.
DisCos Are the Weakest Link
Turning his attention to the distribution segment, Adelabu criticized DisCos for poor performance, warning they are undermining progress in the sector.
“No matter how much we improve generation, it means nothing to consumers if DisCos can’t deliver. Many of them have failed to invest, relying on outdated infrastructure and poor service models,” he said.
He added that although the 2003 power sector reform required technical partners for DisCos, many of those partnerships ended shortly after privatization.
“Some took out bank loans to buy the assets, and instead of reinvesting in infrastructure, they’re using revenue to repay debts,” he noted.
The Minister acknowledged that tariff adjustments helped increase sector revenue from ₦1 trillion in 2023 to ₦1.7 trillion in 2024, a 70% boost. Yet, regional disparities in remittance remain a problem.
In Q4 2024, northern DisCos remitted only ₦124.4 billion—30% of their ₦408.86 billion invoice. Abuja DisCo accounted for 85% of that figure. Southern DisCos performed better, remitting ₦254.6 billion (67%), with Lagos DisCos contributing 70% of the total.
“These gaps show the depth of underinvestment outside Nigeria’s economic hubs. Many areas are still trapped in darkness due to crumbling infrastructure,” Adelabu said.
