Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator showed that generation fell from about 4,500 megawatts to just 24 megawatts at the peak of the incident
Nigeria’s national electricity grid suffered its first collapse of 2026 on Friday, plunging the country into a nationwide blackout as power generation dropped sharply across the system.
Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator showed that generation fell from about 4,500 megawatts to just 24 megawatts at the peak of the incident.
The operator said all 23 power generation plants connected to the grid lost output, leading to zero electricity allocation to the 11 electricity distribution companies.
The affected distribution companies were Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola, all of which recorded no power supply during the collapse.
The cause of the system failure could not be immediately determined.
Officials of the Transmission Company of Nigeria were yet to issue a detailed statement as of the time of filing this report.
Koikimedia reports that the collapse came barely weeks after a similar incident on December 29, 2025, which also disrupted electricity supply nationwide.
Nigeria has continued to experience grid collapses in recent years, often attributed to technical faults, poor maintenance of transmission infrastructure and fluctuations in generation capacity.
Reports indicate that the national grid has collapsed more than 120 times in the past 11 years, despite over $1.4 billion in electricity-related loans.
Last year, the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, said Nigeria would need about $10 billion annually to guarantee stable electricity supply.
Stakeholders have continued to call on the government and power operators to implement stronger contingency measures to curb recurring failures.
The latest collapse has renewed concerns over Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure and its ability to support growing demand for reliable power.
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