Nigeria’s electricity grid has collapsed for the second time this month, plunging large parts of the country into total blackout on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
The System Operator (SO) under the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed the incident shortly after 11:00 a.m. WAT, announcing that the national grid suffered a “total system disturbance” at approximately 10:42 a.m.
This is the second grid collapse in January 2026, following the first on January 8 that left millions without power for over 24 hours in many states.
Power generation dropped from over 4,200 MW to 0 MW within minutes, All 11 distribution companies (DisCos) reported zero supply from the grid why Major cities including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Ibadan, Enugu, and Benin are completely dark.
Hospitals, airports, water works, and small businesses relying on generators are the only facilities with power according to report.
TCN is yet to release an official cause, but early indications from grid engineers point to a sudden loss of generation from multiple power plants, possibly triggered by a frequency excursion below 48 Hz, followed by cascading tripping of transmission lines.
This is the eighth grid collapse recorded since January 2024, highlighting the persistent fragility of Nigeria’s transmission network despite claims of improved infrastructure.
Social media is flooded with anger and frustration, with hashtags #EndBadGovernance, #GridCollapseAgain, and #NigeriaHasNoLight trending nationwide according to Mr Adeajayi Businesses have reported immediate losses running into billions of naira and Many hospitals are switching to generators, raising concerns about fuel availability amid ongoing subsidy removal effects.
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The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, is expected to address the nation later today. TCN has promised “aggressive restoration efforts” and says partial restoration to some regions could begin within hours, with full recovery targeted within 24–48 hours.
This latest collapse comes just weeks after the Federal Government signed a historic deal with ASUU to end university disruptions, raising fresh questions about national infrastructure priorities.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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