The national electricity grid experienced another collapse on Tuesday morning, following a similar failure that occurred on Monday evening. On Monday, the grid failed around 6:18 p.m., plunging large parts of the country into darkness. Power generation dropped from 3.87 gigawatts at 5 p.m. to 3.56 gigawatts by 6 p.m., before ultimately falling to 0.00GW between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., leaving many areas without electricity.
Various power distribution companies confirmed the development, and by Tuesday morning at 9:17 a.m., the grid had collapsed again. By 10 a.m., the grid supply had dropped to 0.00MW nationwide, resulting in another total blackout. This marked the second collapse of the grid in less than 24 hours, intensifying concerns over the reliability and stability of the nation’s electricity supply.
The Eko Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the latest collapse in a statement to its customers, saying, “Dear Valued Customer, kindly be informed that there was a system collapse at 09:17hrs, which has resulted in a loss of power supply across our network. We are currently working with our partners and hope for a speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as the power supply is restored.”
Before the collapse, electricity was being distributed among various distribution companies (DisCos). Allocations included Abuja with 44MW, Benin with 35MW, Eko with 62MW, Enugu with 40MW, Ibadan with 85MW, Ikeja with 72MW, Jos with 10MW, Kaduna with 15MW, Kano with 20MW, Port Harcourt with 23MW, and Yola with 11MW.
Princewill Okorie, Executive Director of the Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre, expressed frustration over the grid’s repeated failures, especially in light of the recent increase in electricity tariffs. He criticized the fact that customers without meters would still be billed for the period during which they received no electricity, questioning the government’s efforts to prevent these recurring collapses.
