- National Power Grid Collapse, First Blackout in 2026
- Power generation dropped to zero megawatts by early afternoon.
- Repeated grid failures raise concerns over electricity reliability.
Nigeria’s national power grid collapsed on Friday, triggering a nationwide blackout for the first time in 2026.
The system failure occurred on January 23, 2026, when power generation dropped to zero megawatts, according to records from the Nigerian Independent System Operator.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that data from the operator showed that electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies fell to zero by about 1 pm, cutting off power supply to homes and businesses across the country.
The affected distribution companies included Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola.
The latest collapse followed several similar incidents recorded in 2025, with the most recent before this occurring on December 29.
Despite ongoing efforts to improve grid capacity and stability, the national power system has continued to suffer repeated breakdowns.
In recent weeks, 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. The intervention was expected to reduce the frequency of system failures.
Earlier in November 2025, the system operator also collaborated with the West African Power Pool Information and Coordination Centre to test the interconnection between Nigeria’s grid and the regional power network.
However, the latest collapse has again raised concerns over the reliability of electricity supply in the country.
