Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s national electricity grid collapses on Friday following the simultaneous failure of multiple high-voltage transmission lines and the disconnection of power generation units, the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, says.
Electricity generation plunges from more than 4,500 megawatts to about 24 megawatts by early afternoon, leaving all 11 distribution companies without power allocation.
In a preliminary statement issued on Saturday, NISO says the system-wide disturbance occurs at approximately 12:40 pm, resulting in a total outage across the interconnected transmission network.
“The national grid experienced a system-wide disturbance, which resulted in a total outage,” the operator states.
According to initial operational findings, the collapse is linked to the tripping of several 330kV transmission lines alongside the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units.
“These events collectively contributed to the system collapse at the time indicated,” NISO says.
The outage affects all 23 power plants connected to the national grid, each reportedly losing output during the incident.
Restoration
“System restoration activities commenced at about 13:15 hours, in line with grid restoration procedures,” the statement says.
Electricity supply is gradually restored to parts of Abuja, Lagos, Benin, Osogbo, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji and Shiroro, while work continues to stabilise supply nationwide.
NISO confirms that a full investigation into the root and contributory causes of the disturbance is underway, stressing that restoring and stabilising the grid remains its top operational priority.
The latest collapse again highlights persistent vulnerabilities within Nigeria’s power transmission infrastructure. efforts begin shortly after the collapse, with NISO activating established recovery protocols.
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Chukwu Obinna 
Oluwafunbi Bello