Most parts of Nigeria are currently in darkness as the National Power Grid has collapsed once again for the first time since the beginning of this year 2026.
This development has disrupted electricity supply to several homes, business outfits and corporations as well as public establishments. Electricity generation dropped sharply from over 4,500 megawatts to as low as 24 megawatts as of 1:30 pm, reports The PUNCH.
The twenty three (23) power generation plants in the country connected to the grid reportedly lost output during the incident, resulting in zero power allocation to each of the 11 electricity distribution companies.
Actual cause of the collapse could not be immediately established, and officials of the Transmission Company of Nigeria had yet to issue a detailed statement at the time of filing this report.
This is the first grid collapse recorded in 2026, coming barely weeks after a similar incident on December 29, 2025, which had also caused widespread power outages across the country.
PUNCH Online reports that in recent years, grid collapses have been attributed to a combination of technical faults, inadequate maintenance of transmission lines, and fluctuations in generation capacity.
Stakeholders have continued to call on the government and power operators to implement robust contingency measures to prevent recurring failures.
While the public awaits an official explanation, this latest collapse has renewed concerns over Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure and its ability to support the growing demand for reliable power. (with additional report from century post). NNL.
