For years, Nigerians have remained unconvinced that the Federal Government is doing anything to improve the stable electricity supply in Nigeria; this impression is reinforced by the frequent blackouts experienced, during which some communities go without light for weeks. And despite the huge sums allocated for improvement, the belief persists that no equipment is bought or obsolete machinery replaced! But as our reporters found out, the government, through the Transmission Company of Nigeria, is doing the impossible—replacing parts, installing new Transformers and constructing substations across the country! The complexities surrounding the Nigerian environment, not to mention rampant cases of vandalism, flooding, and escalating insecurity, were not enough to deter the management of the company from achieving the unbelievable
Stories by Clement Ebaku, Lucy Adah, Prince Ebri, and Ibrahim Isah, from Benin, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Enugu
Although Nigerians are well versed with the general terminology of “blackouts”, not many can accurately explain what the word “National Grid” is; the same applies to “Transmission Lines”. They know that when “blackout” occurs, the “National Grid” must be responsible; but ask them what it is, and you are bound to hear responses such as “oh, the national grid is a huge structure, a big house, or some huge machinery!” Also ask them the same about “Transmission line” and you will be told, “oh, that is a piece of “rod”, a magic “box”, a working ‘tool” that conveys electricity! Without meaning to hurt anyone, this inability to explain the term accurately is exactly the problem confronting the managers of the electricity sector; there is no way they can reach out to explain the situation correctly; hot seat, that’s where they found themselves! Unfortunately for them, the majority of Nigerians have little or no knowledge about this vastly important sector!
So, it is common to heap blame at every slight opportunity on the managers of the sector! In reality, everything about the Power Sector is highly technical, computerized, and a mix of breathtaking Engineering Concerns, beyond the knowledge of the average Nigerian! And so when they hear “breaking news” that the “grid” has collapsed, they yell blue murder, thinking that sabotage, negligence, or corruption must have been responsible; By implication, they inadvertently pile pressure on the managers calling for their heads! But the truth is that the term “national grid” refers to an interconnection of electrical systems crucial for linking substations, power stations, and load centers! Without a robust network of transmission lines, such interconnection would be unattainable.
So, in the lay man’s language, “grid collapse’ is simply in other words “system disturbance”. The same applies to “Transmission Lines” which play pivotal roles in transmission; Transmission Lines are the connectivity between “Power stations” and “Load centers”. Because power stations are often located in remote areas, and load centers in outside regions, the geographical separation underscores the need for transmission lines, which facilitates the “transfer” of power from remote areas to major load centers including cities and villages! So, now, you know what a ‘transmission line” is and the “National grid”. Transmission lines traverse through numerous communities and villages, each with its own complexities! The management of these interconnectivity and transmission lines is what the government has to face, such as “replacement” of breakdown parts, installation of modern ones, upgrade of load centers, base stations, transformers, etc.
Along the way, management has to deal with sudden vandalism and deliberate acts of sabotage! This costs huge sums of money, besides the fact that “spare parts” for the power sector are not like ordinary motor spare parts, where you run to Oladipo in Lagos or Apo mechanic village in Abuja to grab the parts; you have to place “orders”, get the right “contractors”, and finally the “original parts”. That’s how it works! And so in this Part Two serial, our reporters set out to verify what has been done in the areas of Sub Stations, which is the summary of what you will be reading here. And just in case, it is necessary to give a brief clarification of what the Sub-Station is; it is a part of the electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system; it contains specialists’ equipment that allows the voltage of electricity to be transformed (or switched).
The voltage is stepped up or down through pieces of equipment called “Transformers,” which sit within a substation site! They contain circuit breakers, switches, fuses, and instruments that must be housed properly to ensure continuous or reliable service. They cost money and must be replaced regularly as well. And so, in the course of verification, our team of reporters visited Abuja, Oyo, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, and Cross Rivers State, respectively, to see firsthand what has been done. The results are impressive, a remarkable departure from media hype and groundbreaking rehash! Under the Engr. Sule Ahmed AbdulAziz administration, they found brand new Substations in Dawaki, Wumba/Lokogoma, Ogbomosho, Amasiri, Ogoja, and Lafiya, all of them 2×60 MVA, 132/33KV. In Kano, there is a completed 2x150MVA, 330/132/33KV and 2x60MVA, 132/33KV sub-station project; Those found under construction are too numerous to mention. Abuja residents who complain of frequent outages will soon heave a sigh of relief, because, apart from Dawaki and Wumba, three other powerful sub-stations are in the works; they all boast of the impressive 330/132/33KV power house, complete with 2z150MVA transformers and 132KV outdoor switchgear located in New Apo, Kuje, and West Main, Lugbe.
When completed, the Federal Capital will experience an uninterrupted power supply! These are the issues: people need to know what the government is doing; it’s not just to criticize, but to investigate and ask questions! What shocked our reporters most is the discovery that hundreds of Sub-Stations across the country are undergoing various facelifts such as the construction of new perimeter fence, Feeders, switchboard, Control room, Access Road, Rehabilitation and Upgrading works, Line Bay Extension, and enhancement of Distance Protection Relays!
These are no small ventures; when people talk about obsolete equipment, as was the case in the past, now, it is different now. When works are completed in all the major Sub-Stations, Nigeria’s capacity to generate and transmit power may hit the 20,000MEGAWATTS level! Suffice it to conclude that within the next two years, the much-expected stability in the power sector could be a reality! In the Part Three serial, the main objective would be to highlight the Transformers being replaced and installed across the country, another worthy leap by the Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdul-Aziz administration!
