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By Oscar Okhifo
Nigeria, has again been plunged into darkness as the country’s national electricity power grid collapsed for the second time in five days.
The outage has left major cities, including Abuja, without power supply forcing households and businesses to scramble for alternative sources like generators and solar systems.
Major districts of Abuja and other key cities are now left without electricity, forcing residents and businesses to rely on generators and solar panels.
The blackout adds to a growing list of power disruptions that have frustrated Nigerians nationwide and disrupted economic activity.
Last Friday, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) reported that at approximately 12:40pm, the national grid experienced a system-wide disturbance, causing a total outage across the interconnected network.
Investigations revealed that the blackout resulted from the simultaneous tripping of several 330kV transmission lines, alongside the disconnection of multiple grid-connected generating units.
These technical failures combined to trigger the nationwide collapse.
Restoration efforts began around 1:15pm, following established recovery procedures.
Electricity was gradually restored to Abuja, Osogbo, Benin, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji, Shiroro, and parts of Lagos, while crews continued working to bring power back to other affected regions.
Today’s blackout has reignited criticism over the leadership of the Ministry of Power. Many Nigerians have expressed frustration at President Bola Tinubu’s perceived indifference toward the sector, questioning why a former banker, widely regarded as lacking technical experience, is still in charge of a ministry as sensitive and complex as power.
Critics note that while the presidential villa and the minister’s home remain reliably powered, the average citizen and business owner continue to endure persistent outages, often paying for alternative energy solutions at great cost.
Major electricity distribution companies confirmed the latest outage, underscoring the ongoing instability of Nigeria’s power infrastructure.
More details are expected as the situation develops.