Blackout as National Power Grid Collapses for First Time in 2026

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos

Nigeria was again plunged into nationwide darkness yesterday following the collapse of the national electricity grid, the first such incident recorded in 2026, and the second in about the last three weeks.

The system failure, which occurred at about 12.40p.m., resulted in a complete shutdown of electricity supply as power generation dropped to zero, cutting off homes, businesses and critical infrastructure from the grid.

Besides, all electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) were affected, leaving major cities without public power supply, as the utilities scrambled to assure their customers of efforts to restore supply in collaboration with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the grid managers, the Nigerian Independent System Operator  (NISO).

Industry data showed that load allocation to the 11 electricity distribution companies fell to nil shortly after the collapse, underscoring the severity of the disturbance. Prior to the incident, the grid had been transmitting over 4,000 megawatts of electricity, reflecting relatively stable operations before the sudden failure.

But in a statement in Abuja, NISO blamed the incident on the simultaneous ‘tripping’ of multiple 330kV transmission lines as well as the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units for the challenge.

Before the response by NISO, a number of the Discos characterised the development in various terms, with some describing it as ‘system disturbance’, ‘system outage’ and ‘system collapse’.

“We regret to inform you that a system disturbance occurred on the national grid at 12:40p.m. today (yesterday) causing power outage across our franchise areas. While gradual restoration of power supply has commenced, please be assured that we are working closely with relevant stakeholders to fully restore electricity as soon as the grid is stabilised,” Abuja Disco wrote on its social media handles.

For its part, Ikeja Disco said: “Be informed that we experienced a system outage today, 23/01/2026, at around 12:40 hours, affecting all our feeders. Efforts are currently being coordinated by the National Control Centre to effect restoration of supply to all locations affected by the development. Please bear with us.”

In the same vein, Benin Disco simply wrote: “There has been a collapse,” while Yola Disco said, “Be informed that there was loss of supply from the Gombe Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) station at about 12:40p.m. today due to a system disturbance. This has affected the entire YEDC franchise namely Adamawa, Borno, Taraba and Yobe states.

“We are in contact with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and will provide updates as restoration efforts continue. We appreciate your patience and understanding.”

But in what it termed a ‘preliminary statement on national grid disturbance’ NISO explained that after the outage, restoration had begun, noting that a detailed investigation will be carried out to find out the contributory causes of the disturbance.

“The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) wishes to inform the public that at approximately 12:40 hours on Friday, 23 January, 2026, the national grid experienced a system-wide disturbance, which resulted in a total outage across the interconnected network.

“Preliminary operational reports indicate that the disturbance was associated with the simultaneous tripping of multiple 330kV transmission lines, alongside the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units. These events collectively contributed to the system collapse at the time indicated.

“Following the outage, system restoration activities commenced at about 13:15 hours, in accordance with established grid restoration and recovery procedures. As of the time of this update, electricity supply has been successfully restored to Abuja, Osogbo, Benin, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji, Shiroro, and parts of Lagos, while restoration efforts are continuing progressively in other parts of the country.

“A detailed investigation into the root and contributory causes of the disturbance is currently ongoing. The full restoration and stabilisation of the grid remains a top operational priority,” the organisation stated.