BREAKING: Nigeria’s National Grid Collapses Again, Plunging Cities into Darkness
By HeadlineNews.News – April 26, 2025
For the second time this month, Nigeria’s national electricity grid collapsed on Friday evening, throwing large parts of the country into widespread blackout and once again raising concerns over the fragile state of the nation’s power infrastructure.
According to sources within the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the system collapsed at approximately 7:45 PM, disrupting power supply across multiple regions, including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Enugu.
Initial investigations point to frequency instability and generation imbalance as likely triggers of the latest collapse. Efforts to restore electricity through a gradual “grid recovery” process have commenced, but nationwide restoration may take several hours.
The TCN, in a brief statement late Friday, confirmed the incident:
“There was a total system collapse on the national grid. Our engineers are working tirelessly to ensure full restoration of power supply across all affected areas.”
This marks at least the fifth grid collapse in the first four months of 2025, underscoring persistent systemic weaknesses despite billions invested in reforms over the past decade.
Economic and Social Impact
Frequent grid failures have enormous economic consequences. A report by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) estimates that each full-day grid collapse costs Nigeria approximately ₦5 billion in lost productivity.
Small businesses, hospitals, and households continue to bear the brunt, relying heavily on expensive diesel generators and alternative energy sources to survive.
Calls for Structural Overhaul
Energy experts are renewing calls for urgent reforms, including decentralizing the national grid, encouraging state-controlled generation, and accelerating investments in renewable energy solutions to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity ecosystem.
Background Context
Nigeria’s power sector was privatized in 2013, but challenges of weak transmission lines, poor investment in grid maintenance, and a yawning gap between generation and distribution have persisted.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration recently pledged to inject new momentum into energy sector reforms under the Renewed Hope Energy Compact, but tangible improvements remain slow.
As of the time of filing this report, no clear timeline has been given for full restoration of power nationwide.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative Report
