During the Easter holidays, Nigeria experienced nationwide darkness as the national grid collapsed for the fourth time in 2024.
Electricity distribution companies in Nigeria reported that the grid failure occurred around 4:30 pm on Thursday.
News of the grid collapse was confirmed by Kunle Olubiyo, the president of Nigerian Consumer Protection Network, to NewsNow.
Communities like Apo, Dawaki, and Utako lost power around the same time, leaving millions of homes and businesses in Osogbo, Osun State without electricity from the national grid.
At the time of reporting, Discos noted that their feeders were inactive, leading to widespread blackouts across the country.
By 6 pm, the Azura Power Plant was the only source contributing to the grid, generating a modest output of 54 megawatts.
Key power plants such as Egbin, Afam, Geregu, Ibom Power, Jebba, Kainji, Odukpani, and Olorunsogo were not operational, worsening the electricity shortage nationwide.
The grid’s power output, which was at 2984 megawatts at 4 pm, dropped to zero within an hour, causing all 21 connected plants to shut down by 5 pm.
February 4, 2024, also marked a previous grid collapse event as remembered by NewsNow.
Between 2017 and 2023, Nigeria’s Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported 46 instances of national grid collapses.
The power sector in Nigeria has faced challenges for years, with the situation worsening since January 2024.