Nigeria was plunged into darkness on Tuesday after the national power grid collapsed for the tenth time in 2024, disrupting electricity supply across the country. The latest failure, which occurred around 1:52 pm, affected both northern and southern regions, causing widespread outages that continued into the afternoon.

This latest collapse follows a troubling pattern of instability in the national grid. Since the beginning of the year, the grid has experienced multiple failures, including three separate collapses in just one week in October alone. On Tuesday, power generation dropped significantly from 3,631 megawatts at noon to 0.00 megawatts between 2 pm and 3 pm, as 22 power generation plants went offline. At its peak earlier in the day, power generation had reached 3,934.77 megawatts.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed the disruption, attributing it to a series of trippings from both transmission lines and generating plants, which led to instability in the grid. TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah assured the public that engineers were working to restore power, with bulk power supply already being gradually restored to Abuja by 2:49 pm.

Affected electricity distribution companies, including Ikeja DisCo in Lagos and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, issued notices to their customers about the outage, explaining that it was caused by the national grid failure. Power outages were reported across multiple states, including Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, and parts of the Southeast. The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) confirmed that the collapse led to a complete loss of supply in its network, which covers Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo States.

The blackout also disrupted critical services, with hospitals, schools, and businesses experiencing significant setbacks. In some regions, such as Damaturu in Yobe State, the blackout followed a recent restoration of power, exacerbating the frustrations of residents.

Despite billions in investments aimed at revitalizing Nigeria’s power sector, including loans from the World Bank and other multilateral agencies, grid collapses have become an all-too-familiar occurrence. The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Ministry of Power have been criticized for their handling of the crisis, with some experts calling for a comprehensive technical investigation into the root causes of these recurrent failures.

Princewill Okorie, convener of the Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre, expressed concern that consumers continue to pay high electricity bills despite the ongoing outages, often with no clear explanation of the underlying technical issues. “We need a complete overhaul of the grid system, with more attention to the quality of materials used and the professionalism of those building the infrastructure,” he said.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has suggested that the solution to the frequent grid collapses may lie in creating multiple, regional grids to ensure greater stability. However, he acknowledged that until the nation’s power infrastructure is fully overhauled, the instability and blackouts will persist.

This latest collapse has raised further questions about the government’s ability to provide consistent and reliable electricity, a critical challenge for the nation’s economy and the everyday lives of its citizens.