Nigeria suffers first national grid collapse of 2026, power generation drops to zero

Nigeria was thrown into nationwide darkness on Friday after the collapse of the national electricity grid, marking the first system failure recorded in 2026 and triggering widespread blackouts across the country.

Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that power generation plunged to 0 megawatts (MW) at about 1:00 pm, signalling a total shutdown of the national grid.

The system failure forced electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to halt power supply to customers nationwide.

Reports from consumers across several states indicated that electricity supply was lost shortly after midday, disrupting business activities, households, and public services. Major commercial centres and residential areas were affected, compounding challenges for small businesses and essential services that depend on stable electricity.

According to NISO data, distribution companies including Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, and Yola all recorded zero power allocation, underscoring the scale of the collapse and its nationwide impact.

The incident highlights a complete shutdown of the national grid, an event with severe economic and social consequences for Africa’s most populous country.

Nigeria’s economy, already grappling with high operating costs, is particularly vulnerable to grid failures as many businesses rely heavily on electricity to function.

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While the cause of Friday’s collapse was not immediately disclosed, grid failures in Nigeria are commonly attributed to a combination of factors, including inadequate generation capacity, transmission bottlenecks, frequency instability, gas supply constraints, and technical faults within the transmission network.

The national grid has suffered repeated collapses in recent years, raising persistent concerns about the resilience and reliability of the country’s power infrastructure. In December, Nairametrics reported a similar grid collapse that left electricity supply across most parts of the country at near-zero levels.

A comparable incident was also recorded in September, when Nigeria was again plunged into darkness following a system failure.

Despite ongoing reforms in the power sector — including the recent unbundling that led to the establishment of the Nigerian Independent System Operator — experts argue that deep-rooted structural weaknesses in transmission and distribution remain largely unresolved.

The federal government has previously attributed frequent grid collapses and nationwide blackouts to the inability of electricity distribution companies to adequately take and distribute power generated.

Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shows that the grid recorded several partial and total collapses in 2024, further fuelling concerns over the sector’s reliability.

Typically, grid collapses are followed by a gradual restoration process, with power generation ramped up in phases to stabilise the system. In the meantime, electricity consumers are forced to rely on alternative energy sources such as generators and inverters until normal supply is restored.

Power sector stakeholders continue to call for urgent investment in transmission infrastructure, improved system management, and stronger coordination across the electricity value chain to reduce the frequency of grid failures and ensure a more reliable power supply for the country.