Nigeria’s national electricity grid collapsed on Monday afternoon, resulting in a near-total loss of power supply across most parts of the country.
Distribution load data released at 3:12 pm on December 29, 2025, indicated that electricity supply to consumers had dropped to extremely low levels nationwide.
Figures obtained from the Distribution Companies showed that only the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company were receiving power at the time of the collapse, with allocations of 30 megawatts and 20 megawatts respectively.
All other electricity distribution companies, including Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt and Yola, were allocated zero megawatts.
As a result, total electricity distributed across the country stood at just 50 megawatts, far below normal operational levels, leaving households, businesses and critical services without adequate power supply.
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Reports indicated that efforts to restore the grid were ongoing, with the Nigerian National Grid working to stabilise the system as of Monday evening.
The data pointed to a widespread and severe outage affecting major cities and regional centres across the country.
With only 50 megawatts supplied nationwide, the incident ranked among the most significant electricity disruptions Nigeria has experienced in recent years.
The near-total blackout affected not only residential areas but also commercial operations and public infrastructure that depend on stable electricity supply.
As of the time of reporting, neither the Transmission Company of Nigeria nor the Federal Ministry of Power had issued an official statement explaining the cause of the collapse or providing a timeline for full restoration.
Nigeria’s national electricity grid has suffered repeated collapses in recent years, frequently leading to prolonged blackouts and disruptions to economic activities.
Power sector experts have attributed these recurring failures to ageing infrastructure, inadequate power generation, transmission constraints and technical faults within the grid system.
Past grid collapses have exposed weaknesses in grid management, including insufficient preventive maintenance and delays in repairing damaged transmission lines.
The repeated nationwide outages have continued to highlight the fragility of Nigeria’s power sector and the urgent need for comprehensive structural reforms.
The latest collapse further demonstrates the persistent challenges facing the country’s electricity supply and the far-reaching impact on economic and social activities.
Until long-term systemic solutions are implemented, Nigeria remains vulnerable to similar disruptions that threaten businesses, essential services and daily life across affected regions.
The incident has added to growing pressure on authorities to improve grid reliability and accelerate investment in electricity infrastructure to prevent recurring national blackouts.
In September, Nigeria was plunged into darkness following the collapse of the national electricity grid.
Similarly, in March, the national grid reportedly collapsed again, cutting off power supply to several parts of the country.
