NNPC and NISO Blame Each Other Amid Nigeria's Blackout

The blackout in Nigeria continues as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) exchange blame over the situation. Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe stated that electricity supply would improve as generating units returned to service, but later attributed the blackout to maintenance at Egbin Power Station, gas constraints, and sabotage of transmission lines.

NISO reported that low generation was due to limited gas for thermal plants and low water levels at hydro plants. In contrast, NNPC's Chief Corporate Communications Officer Andy Odeh claimed that their gas network was operational and that gas supply was not an issue, asserting that gas production had increased by 10 percent in 2026.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) rejected claims of grid instability, stating that low generation, not transmission failure, was responsible for the outages. Observers noted that the disputes reflect structural issues within Nigeria's electricity value chain.