Nigeria continues to grapple with a persistent and debilitating national power crisis, marked by repeated collapses of its electricity grid. These failures have drawn sharp criticism, particularly from former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, who has labeled the situation a national disgrace and clear evidence of long-standing leadership inadequacies. After multiple grid collapses in 2025, the year 2026 began with yet another system failure in January, further exacerbating concerns.

Peter Obi, in a post on his official X handle, decried the recurring embarrassment and highlighted Nigeria's dismal electricity access. He noted that from 2023 to 2025, Nigeria ranked lowest globally in power accessibility, with approximately 100 million citizens living without electricity. Obi emphasized the stark contrast between Nigeria's power generation capacity and that of other African nations, pointing out that countries like South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria each generate over 40,000 megawatts. In comparison, Nigeria, with a population exceeding 240 million, manages to produce only about 5,000 megawatts, a severe limitation to national productivity. He squarely attributed this ongoing power crisis to continuous leadership failures and urged Nigerians to prioritize competence and empathy when selecting leaders in the 2027 general elections, asserting that capable leadership is crucial for meaningful national progress.

The sentiment of frustration and anger is widely shared among Nigerians, who have vehemently criticized the Federal Government over the constant grid collapses. A recent incident on a Friday saw the national electricity grid suffer a total collapse, plunging various parts of the country into blackout. According to figures from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), power generation plummeted to zero megawatts, completely cutting off electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies, including Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, and Yola, which all reported zero load allocation during the collapse.

Citizens voiced their deep disappointment and concern. Paul Igbashangev described the frequent collapses as disheartening and a significant concern, impacting businesses and households alike, while hoping for a lasting solution. Iwuchukwu Ike lamented that "nothing is working" under the current administration, recalling how Peter Obi's trip to Egypt to study their power solutions was mocked. Ngozi Ikechukwu expressed the hardship of battling grid collapses alongside economic woes, questioning the government's promises. Mustapha Audu suggested adopting Compress Natural Gas (CNG) electricity conversion as a solution, calling the nationwide blackout without a natural disaster a "shame of a nation."

Further public commentary included Adamu Yusuf's suspicion that some individuals might be "playing politics" with the national grid for selfish gain, turning what should be a rare occurrence into "business as usual." Adah Joseph highlighted the severe economic repercussions, citing a decline in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and adverse effects on individual businesses, particularly those reliant on refrigeration, as well as health facilities. He stressed the urgent need for the government to make the power sector a top priority to end this embarrassment. Augustine Oyiwona called for massive investment in new transmission lines and substations, many of which are 40-50 years old, and advocated for replacing manual systems with modern real-time grid monitoring. He also emphasized that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) should operate as a technical utility rather than a ministry desk, and urged that state governments be legally empowered to generate, transmit, and distribute power, as passed by the National Assembly and signed into law. Paul Igbadi succinctly summarized the situation as "total negligence on the side of our government."

The consistent failure of Nigeria's power grid underscores a profound infrastructural and governance challenge, severely impeding productivity, economic stability, and the daily lives of millions. The widespread public outcry and expert suggestions collectively call for immediate, strategic, and sustained interventions to overhaul the nation's beleaguered electricity sector.