Power grid failure, national embarrassment

Before January 2026 had run its course, Nigeria’s national electricity grid had collapsed twice, plunging major cities into darkness and reinforcing concerns about the country’s failing power infrastructure. This disturbing recurrence, now almost routine, underscores a deepening crisis in the power sector and raises uncomfortable questions about planning, accountability and the value Nigerians are getting from years of massive public investment.

The grid collapsed on December 29, 2025, again on January 23, 2026, and most recently on January 27. The latest incident occurred barely four days after the previous one, making it the second collapse within a week and the third in less than one month. For a country that claims to be positioning itself for economic recovery and consolidation, this is an embarrassing and costly setback.

Confirming the January 27 incident, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) said the grid experienced a voltage disturbance at about 10:48 a.m., originating from the Gombe Transmission Substation. According to the agency, the disturbance spread rapidly to the Jebba, Kainji and Ayede transmission substations, leading to the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, and resulting in what it described as a partial system collapse. While NISO insisted that the incident was not a total collapse and that power was fully restored shortly afterwards, the impact was nonetheless severe and nationwide in effect.

The argument over terminology, whether “grid collapse” or “grid tripping”  misses the point. Nigerians do not experience technical explanations; they experience darkness. Businesses shut down, households suffer, and productivity is lost, regardless of what name is given to the failure. What matters is that the system continues to fail with alarming frequency.

Experts have warned that Nigeria’s power sector is increasingly challenged by persistent grid instability, a factor that has contributed to the exit of several companies from the country. This trend is particularly troubling at a time when the economy is expected to move from crisis management and stabilisation between 2023 and 2025 into a consolidation phase in 2026. Reliable electricity is a basic requirement for this transition, not an optional extra.

The repeated grid failures highlight deep-rooted structural and operational weaknesses in the transmission network. Manufacturers, micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), and investors bear the brunt of these failures. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has warned that, based on recent trends and without urgent structural interventions, Nigeria could experience tens of grid collapses in 2026 under a business-as-usual scenario. That is a frightening projection for an economy already under strain.

What makes the situation even more troubling is the scale of public spending with little to show for it. Since the privatisation of the power sector in 2013, the federal government is estimated to have spent over N7 trillion in an effort to improve electricity supply. Yet Nigeria remains far from achieving regular and steady power. Instead, the country continues to battle the same problems that existed before privatisation — from grid collapses and load shedding to inadequate investment and slow expansion of transmission infrastructure. For many Nigerians, the sector’s struggles increasingly resemble the failures once associated with the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).

At Daily Trust, we consider the constant collapse of the national grid an embarrassment not just to the power sector but to the country as a whole. More worrying is the perception that lasting solutions are not being urgently pursued, with authorities appearing more comfortable downplaying each incident rather than confronting the underlying causes head-on.

Investors watching from within and outside the country cannot be encouraged by a system that fails repeatedly without clear evidence of reform.

There are also unanswered questions. What is the current status of the Siemens power project, which was presented as a game changer for Nigeria’s electricity supply? Even if renewal or rehabilitation processes are ongoing, there must be interim measures to ensure that the country is not continually plunged into darkness and embarrassment, as witnessed across major cities following the latest collapse.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign promise in 2022 was unambiguous: “If I do not provide steady electricity in my first four years, do not vote for me for a second term.” That promise does not need to be restated; it needs to be fulfilled. Nigerians are not asking for miracles, only for a power system that works consistently.

The government must urgently create the conditions for all stakeholders in the power sector to contribute meaningfully to stabilising the grid. Without decisive action, grid collapses will remain a symbol of wasted resources, missed opportunities and a failure of governance that Nigeria can ill afford.

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