Nigeria Faces Nationwide Blackouts Due to Grid Failures

The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), led by Managing Director and CEO Abdu Mohammed, reported that faults in generation and transmission are causing nationwide blackouts. The operator highlighted the challenges in maintaining a stable power system, with the national grid experiencing 105 collapses over the past ten years.

The grid has suffered 97 collapses from November 2013 to January 2019, with the previous administration under Muhammadu Buhari recording 93 collapses and the current administration under Bola Tinubu experiencing multiple collapses in 2023 and 2024. Notably, on October 19, 2024, a major disturbance led to significant outages across the country.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission recorded 183 grid disturbances from 2011 to 2023, attributing failures to weak maintenance and inadequate spinning reserves. Despite efforts to improve infrastructure, the grid remains fragile, with incidents of collapse persisting into 2025 and 2026.