Nigeria was thrown into darkness yesterday following the collapse of the national electricity grid. Figures from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), indicate that power generation fell to zero megawatts, while electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies dropped completely by about 1 p.m.
The affected distribution firms include Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola, all of which recorded zero load allocation at the time of the collapse.
A notice from Abuja Electric to customers, said that “gradual restoration of supply” had commenced. Neither NISO nor the Transmission Company of Nigeria had issued a statement on the collapse and its cause.
Recall that Nigeria experienced some national grid collapses in 2025. Also in 2024, the national grid collapsed no fewer than 12 times.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had in July 2025 in its 2024 annual report stated that the national electricity grid suffered 26 system collapses in the last five years.
The report detailed that the grid collapsed four times in 2020 and 2021, respectively, rose to six in 2022, declined to three in 2023, but surged to nine in 2024. According to the report, nine were partial collapses, five of which occurred in 2024.
