The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has blamed corruption by contractors in Nigeria’s power sector for the incessant national grid collapse.
Ola Olukoyede, the Chairman of the EFCC, disclosed this at the commission’s headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday when members of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes visited him.
According to him, the level of corruption in the Nigerian electricity supply industry is capable of illuminating tears.
Chronicle NG reported that the national grid collapsed twice last week, throwing the country into darkness.
In 2024 alone, the National Grid collapsed at least twelve times.
The anti-graft boss responded by claiming that contractors in the power sector were buying inferior materials to fulfill their contracts, which was the cause of the frequent grid collapses.
“As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.
“People who were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 guage, they will go and buy 5.0. Every time you see the thing tripping off, the thing gets burnt, and all of that falters, and it collapses. It’s part of our problems.”
Meanwhile, the transmission company, in several statements, blamed vandalism and insecurity for the frequent grid collapses.
Similarly, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, blamed insecurity and obsolete transmission infrastructure for the country’s national grid collapse.
