Nigeria’s electricity supply was again thrown into crisis on Friday after the national power grid collapsed for the first time in 2026, plunging large parts of the country into darkness and disrupting economic activity.
Data from the power sector showed that electricity generation dropped steeply from over 4,500 megawatts to just 24 megawatts by around 1:30 p.m., underscoring the severity of the system failure.
All 23 power generation plants linked to the national grid reportedly lost output during the incident, resulting in zero power allocation to the country’s 11 electricity distribution companies.
As of the time of filing this report, the Transmission Company of Nigeria had yet to release a detailed explanation on the cause of the collapse.
The latest disruption follows a similar nationwide grid failure recorded on December 29, 2025, renewing concerns over the frequency of system breakdowns.
Power sector analysts have long attributed recurring grid collapses to technical faults, ageing and poorly maintained transmission infrastructure, and instability in generation capacity.
The repeated incidents have intensified calls from industry stakeholders for urgent investment in grid upgrades, improved maintenance, and the deployment of stronger contingency measures to prevent future failures.
