Nigeria experienced another widespread blackout on Friday as the country’s electricity grid suffered a partial collapse, plunging several cities into darkness. The grid failure, attributed to a system breakdown from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), highlights the persistent struggles with power infrastructure and maintenance.
The latest collapse was confirmed by the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), which announced a system outage around 2:00 p.m. on Friday. “Please be informed that we experienced a system outage today, 07/03/2025, at 14:00 hours, affecting supply within our network. Restoration of supply is ongoing in collaboration with our critical stakeholders,” the company said in a statement.
Similarly, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) acknowledged the situation, citing reduced power allocation from TCN as the cause. “The current power situation is due to reduced power allocation from our TCN partners aimed at maintaining grid stability. The situation has resulted in unavoidable load shedding across our network,” EKEDC stated, assuring customers that efforts were underway to restore supply.
Third Electricity Collapse in Nigeria in 2025
This marks the third major blackout in Nigeria in 2025, with the last occurring on February 12. In 2024, the country suffered 12 system collapses, bringing the total number of outages to over 100 in the past decade. The frequent power failures continue to raise concerns about the efficiency of Nigeria’s electricity sector, which has long struggled despite multiple government interventions aimed at reform.
Nigeria’s electricity sector has been plagued by chronic infrastructure deficits, aging transmission lines, and inadequate power generation capacity. Despite promises of improved service following the privatization of power distribution in 2013, many Nigerians still experience erratic electricity supply, forcing businesses and households to rely on costly alternative energy sources such as generators and solar power.
As frustration grows among citizens and businesses over unreliable power supply, there are renewed calls for urgent reforms to stabilize the national grid and improve overall electricity generation and distribution. For now, millions of Nigerians remain in darkness, waiting for yet another round of grid restoration efforts.
