Nigerians are facing another wave of blackouts following the collapse of the national power grid for the second time in just 72 hours. The outage has left much of the country without electricity, deepening frustrations over the country's persistent power issues.
According to data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal, power generation plummeted from 3,743 megawatts (MW) at 10 a.m. to a startling low of 2,709 MW an hour later, before reaching near-zero levels by midday. At its lowest, the grid registered a mere 3.70 MW at noon and only 4.10 MW by 1 p.m.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has not yet confirmed the cause of this latest collapse. However, Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC), one of the country’s largest power distributors, acknowledged the outage on social media, informing customers of a “system outage” that began at 11:29 a.m.
IKEDC assured the public that restoration efforts were underway in collaboration with “critical stakeholders” and urged patience during the outage.
This collapse marks the ninth recorded failure of the national grid in 2024. TCN has previously attributed the instability to ongoing line faults and generator trips, factors which have repeatedly disrupted the grid's operations.
The latest incident underscores Nigeria’s ongoing struggles with aging infrastructure and an overstretched power network.
In recent remarks, Adebayo Adelabu, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, admitted that grid failures are “inevitable” given the current state of the infrastructure.
Adelabu has emphasized the urgent need for investment and modernization of the grid to prevent future collapses, pointing to outdated equipment as a major contributor to the problem.
As the country grapples with this latest blackout, Nigerians are calling for immediate action and lasting solutions to end the frequent disruptions to power supply that have long plagued the nation.
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