National Grid Collapses Again: Nigeria Plunged into Darkness for Second Time This Week

Nigeria’s electricity grid suffered another total collapse on Tuesday morning. This failure plunged vast sections of the country into immediate darkness. Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed zero megawatts. This occurred at approximately 11:00 am across all distribution companies.

The incident marks the second major grid failure within just five days. The first breakdown of 2026 was recorded on January 23. NISO officials attributed this latest outage to a significant transmission disturbance, when multiple 330kV high-voltage lines tripped simultaneously during the event.

Several large generating units also disconnected from the national network. This combination of events triggered the total system failure nationwide. Recovery efforts began quickly following the initial collapse on Tuesday. By late morning, some power reached the Ibadan and Ikeja regions.

The Ibadan DisCo received 50MW while Ikeja DisCo managed 40MW. These small amounts represent a fraction of the required national load. This instability continues a worrying trend seen throughout the previous year. The grid failed several times in 2025, including late December.

Persistent outages continue to frustrate Nigerian businesses and residential consumers alike. Many citizens now demand a permanent solution to the recurring crisis. Total system reliability remains an elusive goal for the power sector. For now, the nation waits for a full restoration of services.