Nigeria experienced a nationwide power outage on Friday following the collapse of the national electricity grid—the first such incident recorded in 2026.
According to Naija News, the disruption occurred on January 23, 2026, when power generation dropped to zero megawatts, as indicated by data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator.
Records showed that electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies fell to zero at about 1:00 p.m., plunging homes and businesses across the country into darkness.
The affected distribution companies included Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola.
This latest grid failure follows a series of similar incidents in 2025, with the most recent before now occurring on December 29. Despite ongoing efforts to strengthen the grid’s capacity and stability, breakdowns have persisted.
In a recent development, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company announced the restoration of an additional 450 megawatts to the grid after completing maintenance at the Geregu National Integration Power Project plant—an intervention expected to reduce system disturbances.
Additionally, in November 2025, the system operator collaborated with the West African Power Pool Information and Coordination Centre to test the interconnection between Nigeria’s power grid and the regional electricity network.
However, the latest collapse has once again raised serious concerns over the reliability and resilience of electricity supply in Nigeria.