Major parts of Nigeria experienced a total blackout on Saturday following a collapse of the national power grid, marking the first such incident in 2025.
The collapse, reported at 1:56 pm, has left citizens in many regions of the country without electricity.
According to data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal, the incident disrupted power supply across various states.
The exact cause of the collapse remains unknown as authorities have yet to provide an official explanation.
This recent outage highlights the persistent instability of Nigeria’s power grid, which suffered at least 12 collapses throughout 2024.
Energy experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the reliability of the grid, urging the government to take decisive action to prevent such occurrences.
A resident of Lagos, Adebola Akintola, expressed frustration over the outage, saying, “This has become a recurring issue. We deserve a stable power supply in a country of this magnitude.”
However, some areas appear to have been spared from the blackout.
Reports indicate that parts of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, continue to receive power despite the grid collapse.
In response to the situation, power distribution companies across the country have urged consumers to remain calm while efforts are underway to restore electricity.
A spokesperson for one of the companies said, “Our teams are working diligently with the Transmission Company of Nigeria to resolve the issue.”
The recurring power grid failures have been a source of frustration for many Nigerians, with calls for immediate reforms in the energy sector.
In 2024 alone, the national grid reportedly collapsed over a dozen times, disrupting economic activities and daily life.
A business owner in Port Harcourt, Chinedu Eze, shared how the outages have impacted his operations.
“I rely on electricity to run my shop. These frequent collapses are killing small businesses,” he said.
The Ministry of Power has yet to issue an official statement regarding the latest collapse.
In previous instances, government officials have attributed grid failures to technical issues and ageing infrastructure.
As citizens await a resolution, many continue to depend on alternative energy sources, such as generators and solar power, to navigate the prolonged outages.
The need for a sustainable and reliable electricity supply remains a pressing concern across the nation.
