By Crystal Ugoeze
Nigeria was thrown into widespread darkness on Friday following the collapse of the national electricity grid, marking the first system failure recorded in 2026.
The collapse occurred at about 1:00 p.m. when electricity load allocation to all power distribution companies (DisCos) dropped to zero, triggering a nationwide outage.
Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that power generation fell to zero megawatts (MW), resulting in a complete shutdown of electricity supply across the country.
A review of the national load distribution profile confirmed that all DisCos — including Abuja, Eko, Benin, Enugu, Ibadan, Ikeja, Jos, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Yola — recorded zero load at the time of the incident.
The system failure came shortly after grid operators reported strong electricity demand in major urban centres. Prior to the collapse, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company was receiving about 639 MW, while Ikeja Electric was allocated approximately 630 MW, indicating robust demand across key cities.
As of the time of filing this report, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which manages the national grid, had not disclosed the cause of the collapse. Although restoration efforts were said to be ongoing, there was no clear timeline for full power restoration.
Efforts to obtain immediate comments from TCN officials were unsuccessful.