HURIWA calls for minister’s removal over electricity grid failures
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed strong dissatisfaction and outrage over the ongoing failures of Nigeria’s national electricity grid under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Following the recent collapses on October 14 and 15, 2024, HURIWA is calling for the immediate removal of Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, citing “gross incompetence” and his unfitness for the role.
These latest failures represent the seventh and eighth grid collapses in 2024, leaving millions of Nigerians in darkness and exacerbating an already fragile economy.
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the outages, which affected power supply across multiple states.
Despite repeated assurances from the Ministry of Power and various government agencies, HURIWA contends that these collapses have become commonplace, exacerbating the nation’s economic and social challenges.
READ ALSO: National grid collapses twice within 24 hours
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, criticized the Ministry of Power as a revolving door for politicians who consistently fail to deliver results, asserting that Adebayo Adelabu’s tenure has been no exception.
“Nigeria has suffered from some of the worst politicians assigned to the Ministry of Power in the past two decades,” Onwubiko stated.
“Most leave office facing anti-graft cases, having failed to provide the electricity essential for industrial and economic growth.”
Since taking office in May 2023, President Tinubu’s administration has faced ongoing power grid failures, each collapse severely affecting the nation.
HURIWA has criticized the President for appointing an individual lacking expertise in power management to this critical position, stressing that reliable electricity is essential for Nigeria’s economic growth, small and medium-sized enterprises, and infrastructure development.
“We do not understand why President Tinubu considers it useful to appoint someone who brings nothing to the table as the Minister of Power,” Onwubiko expressed.
“Electricity powers economic advancement, drives small and medium-sized enterprises, and is the engine of the nation in terms of infrastructure and capacity building.”
HURIWA emphasized that the government’s justifications for the power grid collapses consistently fall short of reality. Explanations citing “system disturbances” or infrastructure issues have been provided, but there is no clear action plan to prevent further failures. The advocacy group noted that while Nigeria has historically faced frequent power grid failures, this trend has worsened under President Tinubu’s administration, with seven collapses recorded in 2024 alone.
HURIWA concluded that, under the current government, Nigerians are enduring more frequent power outages, rising electricity tariffs, and little improvement in supply, further worsening an already challenging economic situation.
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