Frustration is mounting among Nigerians as they call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dismiss the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, amid a prolonged blackout in northern Nigeria that has stretched into its eleventh day.

Voices like Kunle Olubiyo, President of the Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, and Eze Onyekpere, Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice, have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction, questioning the leadership’s handling of the crisis.

These calls follow recent shifts in Tinubu’s cabinet, which were spurred by the country’s frequent national grid failures.

The outage, affecting at least 15 states across Nigeria’s North East and North West regions, has its roots in an act of vandalism. Insurgents reportedly attacked the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, plunging the region into darkness since October 21, 2024.

This blackout has disrupted daily life, crippled businesses, and raised urgent questions about the state of the nation’s power sector.

President Tinubu recently directed Minister Adelabu and the relevant agencies to take immediate steps to restore electricity, yet the region remains in darkness.

Adelabu promised power would be restored within five days, but many are losing patience as temporary fixes from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) have yet to deliver results.

TCN had earlier pledged a short-term solution using the Ugwuaji APIR 330kV line, but as of now, many residents are still waiting, counting the economic costs of the outage.

The National Security Adviser’s office has vowed to work with other security agencies to safeguard efforts to repair the vandalized transmission line. However, public frustration is growing.

Olubiyo described the prolonged blackout as a national embarrassment, calling for urgent intervention.

He advocated for a complete restructuring of the national grid, suggesting it be divided into ten industrial hubs to increase efficiency and resilience.

According to him, corruption and inefficiency have severely hindered TCN’s operations, and he called for a temporary removal of both the Minister of Power and the TCN Managing Director, Sule Abdulaziz, to allow for a thorough investigation.

Eze Onyekpere echoed Olubiyo’s sentiments, stating that Tinubu should relieve Adelabu of his position as Minister of Power, highlighting a lack of readiness among emergency response teams to address situations of this scale.

He criticized the security forces and Adelabu for failing to prevent or address the incident promptly, citing it as a sign of widespread incompetence.

In response, Tunji Bolaji, spokesperson for Adelabu, assured that the government, alongside TCN and the National Security Adviser, is working hard to restore power to the region.

Bolaji emphasized the efforts of TCN engineers who are reportedly working around the clock to resolve the issue, though he stopped short of giving a specific timeline.

He also called on communities to protect public infrastructure, as these vandals often live within the same communities they target.

The blackout has compounded the financial strain on residents in the north, who are already struggling with skyrocketing fuel prices and inflation.

The recent price increase of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to over N1,030 per litre has placed further pressure on household budgets.

With Nigeria’s inflation at 32.7 per cent as of September and the rising costs of goods and services, many citizens are left wondering what additional challenges lie ahead.