Nigeria’s national electricity grid suffered a complete collapse on Friday, plunging major parts of the country into darkness for the first time in 2026.
According to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), power generation dropped to zero megawatts, cutting electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies by around 1 p.m. The affected areas included Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Benin, Ikeja, and Yola—essentially leaving millions without power.
This latest blackout follows a series of grid failures in 2025, including a major collapse on December 29, showing that repeated power disruptions continue to challenge the country despite ongoing efforts to strengthen infrastructure.
Earlier this month, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) had added 450 megawatts back to the grid after maintenance at the Geregu National Integrated Power Project. NISO also conducted a test last November to link Nigeria’s grid with the West African Power Pool, aiming to improve system stability, but the measures were unable to prevent the total collapse.
The outage sparked widespread inconvenience, affecting homes, businesses, and public services across the nation, and highlighting the urgent need for more reliable electricity infrastructure.
