The national electricity grid in Nigeria experienced a significant system collapse on Monday afternoon, December 29, 2025, leading to a near-total loss of power supply across most of the country. Distribution load figures released at 3:12 p.m. confirmed the widespread disruption, showing a drastic plunge in total distributed electricity nationwide to just 50 megawatts (MW), an amount critically insufficient to sustain normal power supply to homes, businesses, and essential services.

Initially, only two Distribution Companies (DisCos) were receiving power: Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company was allocated 30 MW, while Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received 20 MW. The remaining DisCos, including Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Yola, all recorded 0 MW, indicating a comprehensive outage across major cities and regions. The Eko Electricity Distribution Company later issued a notice to its customers, confirming the system collapse occurred at 14:01hrs and informing them of the resulting loss of power supply across its network, assuring customers that they were working with partners for speedy restoration.

The Nigerian National Grid (NNG) reported that restoration efforts were in progress, and subsequent updates throughout the afternoon indicated a gradual recovery. By 3:50 p.m., the total load had increased to 120 MW, with Ibadan, Abuja, and Benin DisCos beginning to receive electricity. Further improvement was noted by 4:44 p.m., as total distribution rose to 305 MW and six DisCos were reportedly receiving power. The latest update as of 5:49 p.m. showed a more significant recovery, with total distributed power reaching 415 MW and major DisCos like Ibadan, Ikeja, Eko, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano receiving varying levels of supply, although many parts of the country still remained without electricity.

This incident is not isolated, as Nigeria's national grid has a history of repeated system collapses, frequently resulting in nationwide blackouts and prolonged power restoration efforts. While the NNG confirmed restoration was underway, no official statement had been issued by the Transmission Company of Nigeria or the Federal Ministry of Power regarding the specific cause of this latest collapse or a definitive timeline for full supply restoration at the initial time of reporting. These recurring disturbances continue to underscore the ongoing challenges within Nigeria's power infrastructure, prompting continuous efforts by authorities and operators to stabilize the national electricity network.