JUST IN: Again, Nigeria Plunged into Total Darkness as Grid Collapses

Nigeria’s national power grid collapsed on Friday, triggering a nationwide blackout. This is the first full system collapse recorded in 2026, following a partial collapse reported about two weeks ago.

Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that electricity generation fell to zero megawatts (MW) by 1 pm. Load allocation to all 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) also dropped to zero at the same time.

The affected DisCos include Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, and Yola, all of which recorded zero power allocation during the incident.

The grid failure comes after a year marked by repeated system disruptions. In 2025, the national grid collapsed several times, with the last incident recorded on December 29.

These outages have persisted despite ongoing efforts to strengthen the grid. The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) recently announced the restoration of an additional 450 MW to the national grid following the completion of scheduled maintenance at the Geregu National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) plant.

In November 2025, NISO also said it partnered with the West African Power Pool Information and Coordination Centre (WAPP-ICC) to carry out a synchronisation test between Nigeria’s grid and the wider West African power network, as part of measures aimed at improving system stability.

No official explanation had been issued for Friday’s collapse as of the time of filing this report.