Nigeria in darkness as National Grid Collapses for First Time in 2026

Nigeria’s national electricity grid collapsed on Friday, throwing several parts of the country into blackout in the first system failure recorded in 2026.

Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that power generation dropped to zero megawatts at about 1 p.m., with electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies nationwide completely cut off.

The affected distribution companies 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.

The latest incident comes months after multiple grid failures recorded in 2025, the most recent of which occurred on December 29, underscoring persistent challenges in the country’s power sector despite efforts to stabilise the system.

Only recently, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) announced that it had restored an additional 450 megawatts to the national grid after completing maintenance at the Geregu National Integrated Power Project.

Similarly, in a bid to enhance grid stability, NISO disclosed that on November 9, 2025, it partnered with the West African Power Pool Information and Coordination Centre to conduct a synchronisation test connecting Nigeria’s grid to the wider West African electricity network.

COURTESY: nigeriannewssphere