Deborah Akinyosoye
Electricity supply has been restored to parts of the country following Nigeria’s first national grid collapse of 2026, as system operators commenced recovery efforts hours after a total outage was recorded on Friday.
In an update on the incident, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) said the grid experienced a system-wide disturbance at about 12:40 pm on Friday, January 23, 2026, resulting in a total outage across the interconnected transmission network.
According to NISO, preliminary operational findings showed that the collapse was linked to the simultaneous tripping of multiple 330kV transmission lines, alongside the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units, events which collectively triggered the system failure.
The operator disclosed that grid restoration activities commenced at approximately 13:15 pm, in line with established system recovery and black-start procedures.
“As of the time of this update, electricity supply has been successfully restored to Abuja, Osogbo, Benin, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji, Shiroro and parts of Lagos, while restoration efforts are continuing progressively in other parts of the country,” NISO stated.
The collapse earlier in the day had seen real-time grid data indicate that national generation fell to 0.00 megawatts, with load allocation to most electricity distribution companies dropping to zero, effectively plunging the country into darkness.
NISO said a detailed investigation into the root and contributory causes of the disturbance was ongoing, adding that the full restoration and stabilisation of the grid remains a top operational priority.