Nigeria is grappling with yet another nationwide blackout as the national electricity grid, managed centrally from Osogbo, Osun State, suffered a collapse around 4:30 pm on Thursday, plunging millions of homes and businesses into darkness.

This latest collapse marks the fourth occurrence within the first three months of the year, exacerbating longstanding challenges within Nigeria’s power sector.

Reports from various distribution companies (DisCos) across the nation’s 36 States indicate that their feeders were deactivated, leading to widespread power outages.

The grid’s output, which was recorded at 2,984 megawatts as of 4 pm on Thursday, dropped to zero within an hour, with all 21 connected plants ceasing operations by 5 pm.

This incident serves as another setback for Nigeria’s electricity sector, which has struggled with persistent issues despite efforts aimed at revitalization through privatization.

In the past decade since privatization, the grid has endured a staggering 141 collapses, highlighting the profound systemic challenges confronting the industry.