The federal government has taken a significant step to address Nigeria’s recurring power grid collapses by setting up a forensic investigative committee.

This decision was made after Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu held an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Tuesday.

In a statement by Bolaji Tunji, the minister’s media aide, Adelabu, during the meeting, expressed displeasure over the incident, saying it was “capable of rubbishing the giant strides made in the last one year which has led to an increased generation and distribution of 5,527 megawatts, a record generation in three years”.

He said the forensic investigation committee are mandated to advise the government on necessary solutions to make the national grid robust and reliable.

“The Committee is to also establish the root cause of both incidents especially a review of potential sabotage on the system,” Tunji said.

“The Committee will holistically review the national grid stability and identify investments and technical capacities required to make the grid smart and resilient.”

The minister also constituted a six-member technical committee to access the critical nodes on the national grid to identify potential vulnerabilities.

According to Tunji, the committee are to proffer recommendations to address the vulnerabilities to prevent future disruptions to the grid.

The six-member committee is headed by Nafisat Ali, executive director of the Independent System Operator (ISO).

Others are “Chidi Ike, commissioner, NERC, Engr. Ishola (GM. National Control Centre (NCC) , Engr. Emmanuel Nosike, Director, Transmission, Federal Ministry of Power (FMoP), Engr. Ali Sharifai (GM, Transmission Service Provider (TSP) and Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power”.

“The team is expected to present a report to the Honourable Minister by November 1, 2024,” Tunji added.

The national grid has collapsed eight times in 2024, with the first recorded on February 4.

TCN also reported the national grid collapsed on March 28, April 15, July 6, and August 5.

Also, Nigerians experienced another blackout on October 14, October 15 and October 19, respectively.

Earlier today, TCN reported power outage in the northeast, northwest and parts of north-central after 330-kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 tripped.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has refuted allegations of initiating a new lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

Reports had suggested the refinery sought to nullify import licenses granted to NNPC and other oil marketers for refined petroleum products already produced domestically.

However, according to Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, the lawsuit in question has been ongoing since June and is slated for withdrawal by January 2025.

“This is an old issue that started in June and culminated in a matter being filed on September 6, 2024,” the company said.

“Currently, the parties are in discussion since the President Bola Tinubu’s directive on Crude Oil and Refined products sales in Naira Initiative, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).”

Dangote refinery said it has made tremendous progress in that regard and events have overtaken the development.

“No party has been served with court processes and there is no intention of doing so. We have agreed to put a halt to the proceedings,” the company said.

“It is important to stress that no orders have been made and there are no adverse effects on any party. We understand that once the matter comes up January 2025, we would be in a position to formally withdraw the matter in court.”

On October 5, the federal government said Nigeria officially commenced the sale of crude oil and refined petroleum products in naira.

Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives, has finally regained his freedom after serving a five-year jail term for bribery.

He was released from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Tuesday.

Lawan’s story is quite notable, as he was once the chairman of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee tasked with investigating the multi-billion naira petrol subsidy fraud back in 2012.

However, his involvement took a dramatic turn when he was convicted and sentenced to prison in 2021 for accepting a whopping $500,000 bribe from Femi Otedola, the then-chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited.

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of Kuje Custodial Centre, with a heart full of gratitude to Allah SWT for seeing me through this trial,” Lawan said in a statement.

“My gratitude is deep, I’m alive and in good health and high spirits to be with my family, friends and associates. I don’t take that for granted.

“I remain grateful and indebted to my family and friends who stood by me through this particularly trying phase of my life.”

Recall that Lawan, who represented the Bagwai/Shanono constituency of Kano state in the house of representatives, was accused of demanding $3 million from Otedola to remove Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited (Otedola’s former company) from the list of oil companies allegedly involved in the petrol subsidy scam.

Video clips had made the round on social media at the time, showing Lawan stuffing wads of currency notes in his traditional outfit and underneath his cap.

He was arraigned on seven counts of bribery by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

On June 22, 2021, Angela Otaluka, judge of a federal capital territory high court in Apo, convicted Lawan on all three counts and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

In February 2022, a court of appeal discharged and acquitted the former lawmaker on two of the three counts on which he was convicted.

The appellate court affirmed his conviction on one count.

The jail term was also reduced to five years from seven years.

In January 2024, the supreme court affirmed Lawan’s conviction and upheld the verdict of the court of appeal.