Nigeria’s national grid collapses again

The national grid collapsed on Monday, cutting electricity supply to near-zero levels across the country. By mid-afternoon, distribution data showed that power flow to consumers had almost completely dried up.

Load figures released at 3:12 pm on December 29, 2025, indicated that just two electricity distribution companies were receiving supply at all.

Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company recorded an allocation of 30 megawatts (MW), while Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received 20 MW.

Every other distribution company, including Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt and Yola, was allocated zero megawatts at the time.

The combined nationwide distribution stood at only 50 MW, a level far below what is required to sustain normal electricity services.

The sharp drop left households, businesses and essential public facilities across major cities and regional centres without adequate power.

As of the time of reporting, neither the Transmission Company of Nigeria nor the Federal Ministry of Power had issued a formal explanation for the collapse.

The absence of official clarification has left the cause of the outage and the timeline for full restoration uncertain.

Faith Esifiho is an Energy correspondent at BusinessDay, covering Nigeria's electricity sector, oil and gas industry, and energy policy.

She reports on power outages, electricity tariffs, gas sector reforms, and the broader challenges facing the country's energy transition.

She specializes in data-led reporting and human-angle stories that examine how energy policies affect everyday Nigerians and also tracks trends in the power sector, analyses regulatory changes, and investigates the impact of subsidy reforms and pricing policies.

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