Nigeria was plunged into widespread darkness on Friday, January 23, 2026, after the national electricity grid collapsed for the first time this year.
Operational data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that power generation fell abruptly to zero megawatts at about 11:40 a.m., triggering a total system shutdown.
As a result, electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies across the country was cut off. DisCos serving major urban centres, including Ikeja Electric, Eko Electricity Distribution Company and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), were among those affected by the collapse.
NISO figures further indicated that load allocation to the DisCos remained at zero megawatts as of 1:00 p.m., confirming the scale of the outage nationwide.
The latest collapse adds to a series of grid failures recorded in recent years. In 2025 alone, the national grid experienced multiple breakdowns, with the last occurring on December 29, despite ongoing upgrades intended to strengthen capacity and improve system stability.
The recurring disruptions have continued to fuel concerns among consumers and industry observers over the resilience of Nigeria’s power infrastructure and the effectiveness of ongoing reforms in the electricity sector.
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