Nigeria’s national electricity grid suffered a widespread collapse on Monday afternoon, plunging much of the country into near-total darkness.
Data released at 3:12 pm on December 29, 2025, showed that electricity supply to consumers had dropped drastically, leaving most regions without power.
Information from the country’s Distribution Companies revealed that only the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company were receiving electricity at the time, with allocations of 30 megawatts and 20 megawatts respectively.
All other distribution companies, including Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Yola, were allocated zero megawatts, effectively cutting power to these areas.
Consequently, total electricity supplied nationwide was just 50 megawatts, far below normal levels.
The blackout left households, businesses, and critical services struggling to function without reliable power.
Efforts to restore the grid were reportedly underway on Monday evening, with the Nigerian National Grid working to stabilise the system.
The figures highlight the severity of the outage, which disrupted major cities and regional centres across the country. With only 50 megawatts delivered nationwide, the incident is among the largest electricity failures Nigeria has faced in recent years.
The blackout affected residential, commercial, and public infrastructure that rely on consistent electricity supply.
As of the time of reporting, neither the Transmission Company of Nigeria nor the Federal Ministry of Power had issued a formal statement explaining the cause of the collapse or providing an estimated timeline for full restoration.
Nigeria’s national electricity grid has experienced repeated failures in recent years, often resulting in extended blackouts and economic disruption. Experts point to aging infrastructure, limited power generation, transmission bottlenecks, and technical faults within the grid as key contributors.
Past collapses have also exposed weaknesses in grid management, including inadequate preventive maintenance and delays in repairing damaged transmission lines.
The recurring nationwide outages continue to underscore the fragility of Nigeria’s power sector and the urgent need for comprehensive structural reforms.
The latest collapse demonstrates the ongoing challenges facing electricity supply in the country and the significant impact on both economic and social activities.
Until long-term solutions are implemented, Nigeria remains vulnerable to similar disruptions that threaten businesses, essential services, and daily life across affected areas.
The incident has increased pressure on authorities to improve grid reliability and accelerate investment in electricity infrastructure to prevent future national blackouts.
In September, Nigeria was plunged into darkness after a previous grid collapse, and in March, the national grid reportedly failed again, cutting power to multiple regions.
