A nationwide power outage followed a major grid collapse, costing GenCos N66 billion and prompting labour leaders to demand a public audit and overhaul of Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Nigeria suffered another nationwide blackout on Thursday after the national grid collapsed at 11:23 a.m., cutting supply from about 4,500 megawatts to 120 MW, according to real-time data from the Nigerian System Operator (NISO).
The incident, blamed on the tripping of a generation company, left millions without electricity and caused losses of over N66 billion and 1,866 MW for power generation companies (GenCos) in eight months. Flooding and thunderstorms worsened the crisis, submerging infrastructure such as the Jambutu substation in Yola and damaging the 132 kV Otukpo–Nsukka–New Haven line. By 5:37 p.m., output had recovered to 1,055 MW with all 11 distribution companies receiving limited allocation.
“The continued collapse of the national grid is a direct attack on the country’s national productivity,” Nigeria Labour Congress President Joe Ajaero said, urging a public audit and a review of the failed privatisation model. He rejected the Federal Government’s plan to inject N4 trillion into operators, advocating public-led investment in new generation and transmission capacity.