Nigeria’s national electricity grid experienced a total collapse on Friday, marking the first such incident recorded in 2026 and resulting in widespread blackouts across various parts of the country. According to figures released by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), power generation plummeted to zero megawatts (MW), leading to a complete cessation of electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies (DisCos) by approximately 1 p.m. on the day of the collapse.

The affected distribution firms included Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, and Yola, all of which registered zero load allocation at the time the incident occurred. This significant power outage comes just months after Nigeria endured a series of grid failures throughout 2025, with the most recent preceding collapse documented on December 29 of that year. The recurring nature of these breakdowns continues to be a persistent challenge, occurring despite ongoing and concerted efforts to reinforce and expand the nation's power infrastructure.

In a bid to bolster the national grid's capacity and stability, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) had previously announced the successful restoration of an additional 450 MW to the grid. This enhancement followed the completion of scheduled maintenance work at the Geregu National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) plant. Furthermore, in another strategic move aimed at improving system resilience and broader connectivity, NISO had disclosed its collaboration with the West African Power Pool Information and Coordination Centre (WAPP-ICC) on November 9, 2025. This partnership facilitated a crucial synchronization test, linking Nigeria’s national grid with the extensive West African electricity network.