By Mahdi Waziri Isa
The Federal Government has announced plans to privatize the national grid, citing its age and fragility as causes of frequent collapses.
Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu disclosed this on Thursday during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, moderated by Information Minister Mohammed Idris.
Adelabu stated that private investors have shown interest in managing parts of the grid, with talks ongoing for potential takeovers by year-end.
“The national grid is 100% government-owned, but we can’t fund it alone,” he said.
“Private investors can finance new lines and substations, earning from charges by DisCos and GenCos.”
The government also plans to settle N2 trillion of its N4 trillion debt to GenCos, partly through budgetary allocations.
Adelabu attributed half the debt to past administrations and noted that DisCos’ non-cost-reflective tariffs hinder sector investment.
On metering, Adelabu revealed a seven-million shortfall, with plans to deploy 1.1 million meters this year under the N700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative. An additional 1.3 million meters will come via a World Bank-funded program.
Despite recent peaks of 6,003 MW in generation and 5,801 MW in evacuation, Adelabu admitted the grid’s maintenance has been poor.
“It’s a huge, aging network covering over 200 million people,” he said.
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