Nigeria faces yet another nationwide blackout as the central electricity grid, managed from Osogbo, Osun State, suffered a collapse around 4:30 pm on Thursday, leaving millions without power.
This marks the fourth grid collapse in the first three months of the year, highlighting ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power sector.
Reports from distribution companies across the 36 states indicate widespread blackouts as feeders were rendered inactive.
The grid’s output, which was at 2,984 megawatts at 4 pm, dropped to zero within an hour, with all 21 connected plants ceasing operations by 5 pm.
This incident underscores the persistent issues in Nigeria’s electricity sector despite privatization efforts aimed at improvement.
In the past decade, there have been 141 grid collapses, highlighting the systemic challenges facing the industry.
At 6:00 pm, the Azura Power Plant was the only facility contributing to the grid, with an output of just 54 megawatts.
Major power plants like Egbin, Afam, Geregu, and others remained dormant, worsening the electricity deficit nationwide.