National Grid Suffers First Collapse Of 2026
Nationwide Outage Hits Power Supply
NIGERIA’S national electricity grid collapsed on Friday afternoon, marking the first system failure recorded in 2026 and plunging large parts of the country into darkness. The collapse triggered a complete shutdown of power supply across the country, raising fresh concerns over the fragility of the nation’s electricity infrastructure.
Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that electricity generation fell to zero megawatts (MW), effectively cutting off supply to all distribution companies.
DisCos Receive Zero Load Allocation
According to NISO records, electricity load allocation to all 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) dropped to zero at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Friday.
The affected DisCos include Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola. Customers across these franchise areas reported widespread outages almost simultaneously, with many homes, offices and businesses left without power.
The sudden blackout disrupted commercial activities, telecommunications services and household routines in several cities, as many consumers resorted to generators and alternative energy sources.
Silence From Power Authorities
As of the time of filing this report, power sector authorities had not issued an official statement explaining the cause of the system collapse or providing a timeline for the restoration of electricity supply.
Neither the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) nor the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had commented publicly on the incident, leaving consumers and industry stakeholders awaiting clarification.
Recurring Grid Failures Raise Concerns
Nigeria has suffered multiple grid collapses in recent years, often resulting in nationwide blackouts and prolonged restoration periods. Experts have repeatedly warned that ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance, gas supply constraints and system instability continue to undermine the reliability of the national grid.
Friday’s collapse has once again renewed calls for urgent investment in grid expansion, redundancy systems and decentralised power solutions to reduce the impact of system failures on the economy and daily life.
