Nigerians have been thrown into darkness due to a ‘system outage’ from the national grid on Friday, marking the first such incident in 2026.
A grid collapse, which is the breakdown of transmission lines due to over-or under-frequency, is said to be responsible for this outage.
Electricity distribution companies announced a system outage at approximately 12:40 p.m. on Friday.
The latest development comes months after the national grid collapsed in December last year, plunging the country into darkness.
Confirming the development, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) said: Dear valued customer, Kindly be informed that there was a reported system collapse at 12:40 hours, which has resulted in a loss of power supply across our network.
“We are currently working with our TCN partners as we hope for the speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as the power restoration resumes. Kindly bear with us.”
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), in a statement posted on its X handle, said: “Dear valued customer, we regret to inform you that a system disturbance occurred on the national grid at 12:40 p.m today causing power outage across our franchise areas.
“While gradual restoration of power supply has commenced, please be assured that we are working closely with relevant stakeholders to fully restore electricity as soon as the grid is stabilised.”
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In recent years, the power sector has faced numerous challenges, including issues with electricity policy enforcement, regulatory uncertainty, gas supply shortages, transmission system constraints, and significant planning shortfalls in the power sector.
The Assistant General Manager, Corporate Communication of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), Kazah Bili Akau, told ThePreview Media Friday evening that the public would soon be updated about the development.
NISO is responsible for managing electricity system operations, including load allocation from generation companies to distribution companies and eligible customers.
