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How faulty generator caused power outage, delayed Nigerian Senate proceedings

For up to 30 minutes, proceedings at the Senate were delayed on Tuesday, leaving senators, aides, and other support staff bewildered.

The delay was caused by a sudden power outage blamed on a faulty generator that provides electricity to the Senate Wing of the National Assembly building.

For about 30 minutes, activities in the Red Chamber were at a standstill as lawmakers wondered about what could have caused the outage.

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, arrived at about 12 pm to commence the day’s plenary sitting soon after electricity was restored.

The Senate President, who tendered an apology over the development, announced to his colleagues that, aside from the chamber, nine offices within the complex were also affected by the outage, shutting down more than 20 air conditioners and other appliances.

Akpabio stated, “They are still working on the light. It went off in the morning. It is even affecting some of the offices on the Fourth Floor; we have about nine offices that they have not been able to rectify, but they are working on it.

“They have assured us that before 1pm, the light will be okay. However, I have noticed that even the press (journalists) are fanning themselves; at least they feel the heat too.

“If it gets too hot, then we may have to adjourn for a while to allow them to conclude, but they are working on it. I apologise for any inconvenience.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Committee on Senate Services, Senator Sunday Karimi, informed journalists that the situation was caused by a faulty generator.

He said, “It is an uncommon incident. Since the 10th Assembly, we have not heard of this kind of experience.

“Often, when we are sitting, we use the generator. Unfortunately, our generator developed a fault today.

“It has nothing to do with the fuel issue. So, it is time to switch to the second generator used by the House of Representatives.

“You will also observe that within 10 to 15 minutes of the switching, our generator was restored.”

Findings by the Nigerian Tribune showed on Tuesday that over N344.85 billion was budgeted for the operations of the National Assembly in the 2024 budget.

Out of the figure, the Senate was allocated N49.14bn, while N78.62bn was earmarked for the House of Representatives.

The National Assembly Office received N36.72bn, while a separate N30bn was provided for the “upgrading of Nass key infrastructure.”

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