Nigeria experienced a widespread power grid failure on Friday afternoon when the national electrical network collapsed, cutting electricity across the country.
Around early afternoon officials reported that generation dropped to zero megawatts, meaning all distribution companies in major cities from Lagos to Abuja and Kano recorded no load.
Grid operators said the outage followed an unexpected drop in generation amid strong demand, though details on the root cause remain under investigation.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria and Independent System Operator says they are working on restoring supply, but no timeline has been announced.
The blackout has disrupted businesses, banking services and households, reviving concerns about the fragility of Nigeria’s energy infrastructure and reliability of power supply.
This latest collapse comes amid ongoing efforts to reform and stabilise the grid, including recent maintenance at key plants such as Geregu and investments aimed at expanding capacity.
Critics say repeated failures show systemic weaknesses that need urgent structural fixes, while the government insists work is underway to strengthen transmission and generation capacity.
