Nigeria’s national electricity grid suffered a total system collapse on Friday, triggering widespread power outages across parts of the country—the first such incident recorded in 2026.

Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that power generation dropped to zero megawatts by about 1:00 p.m., resulting in a complete shutdown of electricity supply to all 11 electricity distribution companies nationwide.

The affected distribution companies include Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola, all of which recorded zero load allocation at the time of the collapse.

The latest failure comes just months after a series of similar incidents in 2025, with the most recent grid collapse reported on December 29. The recurring disruptions have continued despite sustained efforts by authorities to stabilise, upgrade and expand Nigeria’s power infrastructure.