<\/p>\n
By Our Correspondent<\/p>\n
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the latest collapse of the national grid, warning that the incessant failures are crippling the economy, forcing businesses to shut down, and worsening unemployment.<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s power grid reportedly collapsed on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, with generation dropping from 2,917.83 megawatts at 11 a.m. to just 1.5 megawatts by midday. The Independent System Operator confirmed the sharp decline while the National Grid\u2019s X handle announced that \u201csystem restoration is in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
HURIWA, in a statement issued in Abuja, said the repeated collapse of the grid was a symptom of deeper rot in the electricity sector and accused the government of failing to provide consistent leadership. The group said the blackouts were crippling national productivity and making it impossible for small and medium enterprises to survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery grid collapse means factories are forced to shut down, small businesses like welders and shop owners close their doors, hospitals struggle to keep life-support machines running, and schools are thrown into disruption,\u201d the association said. \u201cThose who cannot afford generators are plunged into darkness, while those who can are burdened with unbearable fuel costs. The multiplier effect is job losses and increased poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The association noted that while customers are made to pay higher electricity tariffs, they receive little or no supply in return. It described this as exploitation, urging regulators to ensure that tariffs reflect the actual services delivered to consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe irony is that households and businesses are charged heavily for electricity that is not supplied. Citizens are shortchanged every day,\u201d the group said. \u201cPeople are paying for darkness, while also paying again for generator fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
HURIWA also took aim at the leadership of the Ministry of Power, particularly Minister Adebayo Adelabu, who has publicly declared his intention to contest the Oyo State governorship election in 2027. According to the group, his political ambition has distracted him from addressing the urgent problems facing the sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministry of Power should not be a stepping stone for political office,\u201d HURIWA said. \u201cThe minister\u2019s focus is evidently on his governorship ambition in Oyo State, not on stabilising power supply for Nigerians. Electricity is too vital to the economy to be left in the hands of a politician whose priority is elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
The association called on President Bola Tinubu to replace Adelabu with a technocrat who has the competence and commitment to overhaul the sector. It said Nigeria requires a leader with expertise in energy and infrastructure who can drive reforms, rehabilitate ageing facilities, and expand generation and transmission capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Nigeria needs is a dedicated technocrat with proven knowledge of power systems and infrastructure development,\u201d the group said. \u201cOnly such a professional can provide the focus and expertise needed to re-engineer the dying electricity sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Energy experts have long identified the fragility of the national grid as a major obstacle to Nigeria\u2019s development. Although the country has installed capacity of more than 13,000 megawatts, barely a third is ever available due to faulty equipment, gas shortages, and inadequate investment in transmission and distribution. Analysts say the unreliability of power supply discourages investment, increases production costs, and contributes to rising unemployment.<\/p>\n
HURIWA said the collapse of the grid was now a matter of national emergency, stressing that urgent reforms were needed to prevent further damage to the economy. It urged government to accelerate investment in transmission lines, upgrade substations, and diversify into renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on the fragile national system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recurring collapse of the grid has made Nigeria unattractive to investors. Industries are relocating, while local businesses are shutting down. Until urgent steps are taken, the country will continue to lose jobs and revenue,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n
The association added that power supply was central to the realisation of human rights, as reliable electricity underpins access to education, healthcare, and livelihoods. It warned that continued failure in the power sector would deepen hardship and inequality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blackouts are not just technical failures; they are failures that affect human rights,\u201d HURIWA said. \u201cWithout power, hospitals cannot function properly, students cannot study effectively, and businesses cannot thrive. Nigerians deserve better than endless excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Wednesday\u2019s collapse, Nigerians across cities and rural communities are once again left in uncertainty, waiting for supply to be restored. For HURIWA, the latest blackout is evidence that the country must urgently change course in how it manages the power sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Our Correspondent The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the latest collapse of the national grid, warning that the incessant failures are crippling the economy, forcing businesses to shut down, and worsening unemployment. Nigeria\u2019s power grid reportedly collapsed on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, with generation dropping from 2,917.83 megawatts at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2279,4492,17,3546,1675,4493,2825],"class_list":["post-7066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-economy","tag-collapse","tag-crippling","tag-economy","tag-failures","tag-incessant","tag-relocating","tag-shortchanged"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7066"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7067,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7066\/revisions\/7067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}