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Power grid collapsed over 90 times under Buhari in seven years, presidential aide reveals

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On Monday, Distribution Companies (DisCos) announced that the national grid had collapsed, a situation that has got Nigerians agitated due to the scarcity of fuel that has lasted for over three weeks.

Between 2010 and 2020, the national grid has collapsed a total of 216 times, with the most being between 2010 and 2014, when it failed 122 times, which is the period former President, Goodluck Jonathan, was in office.

Ripples Nigeria had reported a nationwide blackout on Monday, which was linked to system failure caused by lack of spinning reserve that could have forestalled the grid collapse.

Since President Muhammadu Buhari came into office, the national grid has collapsed 94 times in seven years, with the highest number in a year being 42 in 2010, while the lowest was four in 2021, data shared by Special Assistant to Buhari on Digital and New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, showed.

READ ALSO: Ortom blasts Buhari, says President lacks capacity to rescue dwindling economy, tackle insecurity

Breakdown of the period available shows the following: 2010: 42, 2011: 19, 2012: 24, 2013: 24, 2014: 13, 2015: 10, 2016: 28, 2017: 24, 2018: 13, 2019: 10 and 2020: 4, 2021: 4.

So far, the national grid has collapsed twice in 2022, first in January and now in March. The Nigeria Electricity System Operator is yet to respond to enquiry from Ripples Nigeria for data on grid collapse in the last 12-years.

While defending Buhari’s administration amid criticism resulting from the recent collapse, Ogunlesi said, “2021 appears to have had lowest number of grid collapses since 2010.

“Which suggests increasing grid stability. Which doesn’t mean we still don’t have major grid issues, but maybe we’re headed in the right direction”, he tweeted.

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