Darkness Descends: Nigeria’s National Grid Collapses
On
September 10, 2025, Nigeria experienced yet another collapse of its national
electricity grid, plunging large swathes of the country into darkness and
reigniting concerns over the fragility of its power infrastructure.
The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m., with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) confirming a sudden loss of supply from the grid. This disruption affected electricity distribution across multiple states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos, Port Harcourt, Jos, and others.
According
to reports, the grid's output plummeted from 2,917.83 megawatts to a mere 1.5
megawatts within an hour, marking a dramatic and near-total shutdown of the
national power supply system. The collapse impacted 11 distribution companies,
with some, such as Eko, Ikeja, Enugu, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, and
Yola, reporting zero megawatts of supply during the outage. AEDC issued a
public notice assuring customers that efforts were underway to restore power
once the grid stabilized.
Restoration
efforts began later that afternoon, with updates indicating that 495 megawatts
had been restored to select distribution companies. Abuja received 150
megawatts, while Eko and Ikeja each regained 80 megawatts. Other areas such as
Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, Kano, and Kaduna saw partial recovery, though Port
Harcourt, Jos, and Yola remained in darkness as of the latest reports4.
This
event adds to a troubling pattern of grid failures in Nigeria. Between 2010 and
2022, the national grid collapsed 222 times. In 2024 alone, there were 10
recorded collapses, and the trend has continued into 2025 despite assurances
from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Nigerian Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC) that reforms were underway4. The recurring
collapses have sparked widespread frustration among citizens and business
owners, many of whom rely heavily on electricity for daily operations and
livelihoods.
The
September 10 collapse underscores the systemic challenges facing Nigeria’s power
sector. Despite claims by TCN that grid collapses have declined by 76% in the
past five years compared to the previous five-year period, the frequency of
outages continues to disrupt economic activity and erode public confidence in
the national grid. The incident has prompted renewed calls for decentralization
of power generation and distribution, with some entities already moving toward
independent power solutions.
As
restoration continues, the silence from key government agencies such as TCN has
only deepened public concern. With electricity tariffs rising and the cost of
living soaring, Nigerians are demanding more transparency and accountability in
the management of the country’s energy infrastructure.
The
September 10 collapse serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for
sustainable and resilient power solutions in Africa’s largest economy.
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