Residents and businesses across Lagos are enduring worsening power outages as Ikeja Electric, the state’s primary electricity distribution company, blames a nationwide collapse in power generation driven by chronic gas supply failures to Nigeria’s thermal power plants.
The company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kingsley Okotie, confirmed the situation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday, attributing the ongoing supply reductions to insufficient gas reaching thermal plants, the country’s dominant source of electricity generation.
“The ongoing reduction in electricity supply is largely due to a nationwide drop in power generation, caused by limited gas supply to thermal power plants. This has significantly reduced the energy available on the national grid and, consequently, the allocation to Ikeja Electric and other distribution companies,” Okotie said.
He noted that the shortfall had affected electricity distribution to customers, resulting in intermittent outages and load shedding across the company’s network, while assuring customers of Ikeja Electric’s commitment to equitable and efficient distribution of the limited power available.
This is not the first time Ikeja Electric has sounded the alarm this month. In a public notice issued on March 11, 2026, the company apologised to customers for persistent outages, warning that the situation was beyond its immediate control and linked to reduced electricity generation nationwide. “The current situation is due to gas supply constraints affecting the national grid. This has resulted in a significant energy shortfall, necessitating increased load shedding across all our feeders,” the company said at the time.
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Earlier, on March 6, the grid operator reported that the national grid produced just 3,940.53 megawatts as of 5:00 a.m. on that day, a figure that underscores the scale of the fuel supply challenge limiting output from gas-fired plants.
Nigeria’s electricity supply system relies heavily on gas-fired thermal plants connected to the Transmission Company of Nigeria-managed national grid. According to data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the country’s installed electricity generation capacity exceeds 13,000 megawatts, but available capacity often fluctuates between 3,000 MW and 5,000 MW due to gas shortages, transmission constraints, and plant maintenance issues.
Amid the outrage, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) issued a clarification denying media reports that zero-megawatt allocations had been made to some distribution companies between March 20 and 22, 2026. The system operator acknowledged that the power system had experienced reduced generation due to gas supply constraints but insisted that available generation was continuously dispatched and equitably allocated to all distribution companies throughout the period, in accordance with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Multi-Year Tariff Order framework.
The gas shortage is unfolding against a backdrop of deep financial distress in the power sector. An increasing number of Nigeria’s power generation companies have been forced to curtail operations under the weight of a sector debt burden estimated at N6.8 trillion, making it extremely difficult for them to maintain equipment, procure gas, and cover basic operational costs.
Compounding the crisis further, rehabilitation works on the 132kV Gas Insulated Substation at the Amuwo Transmission Station commenced on March 19, 2026, and are expected to continue until July 30, 2026, meaning residents in parts of the Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos could face prolonged disruptions stretching into the second half of the year.
The worsening supply situation has drawn sharp reactions from Lagos residents, many of whom say they are paying premium tariffs for minimal power. Several customers on Band A, the highest tariff band, which is supposed to guarantee more stable supply complained of going days without electricity while still being billed at the premium rate, with some calling on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to intervene.
Okotie urged customers to remain patient as efforts continued at the national level to improve gas supply and stabilise power generation, while management expressed regret for the inconvenience caused. Whether those assurances will prove sufficient to stem growing public frustration remains to be seen, as Nigeria’s power sector continues to grapple with structural challenges that have persisted for decades.