Nigeria is inching closer to full power restoration following the collapse of the national electricity grid, which occurred on October 14, 2024. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced that significant progress has been made, with power supply now restored to 90% of its substations nationwide.
This marks the sixth time the country’s electricity grid has collapsed this year, disrupting power for millions of Nigerians across various regions. While power has not been completely restored, TCN reassured the public that efforts are ongoing to fully recover the grid.
Earlier in the day, the grid’s generation peaked at 1,884.48MW but later dropped drastically to just 48.60MW, leading to widespread outages across the country.
Ibom Power was the only power station still operational at that time, continuing to supply electricity to the South-South region, including Eket, Ekim, Uyo, and Itu. But recovery efforts quickly resumed, and by 5 p.m., more power plants had been restored, bringing much-needed relief to affected areas.
In a statement, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, explained that the grid experienced a “partial disturbance” at around 6:48 p.m. on Monday, October 14. “Efforts to restore the grid began immediately,” she said, adding that Azura Power Station initiated the process with a black start—a procedure used to recover the grid following a complete shutdown.
Although initial recovery efforts were well underway by 10:24 a.m. on Tuesday, the process faced a minor setback, temporarily slowing down progress. However, TCN continued working, and by the evening, 90% of the grid was back online. Major areas such as Abuja and other critical distribution centers have regained power, easing the effects of the outage on residents and businesses.
Mbah noted that the Ibom Gas Power Plant remained unaffected by the collapse, as it was isolated from the national grid. The plant played a crucial role in keeping parts of the South-South region powered during the outage.
“Grid restoration is now at an advanced stage, and we expect full recovery soon,” Mbah stated. “Power supply has been restored to about 90% of our substations across the country, and major cities like Abuja have regained electricity.”
The latest grid collapse highlights the ongoing instability of Nigeria’s electricity network, which has struggled with reliability and maintenance issues for years. Despite efforts to improve infrastructure and expand capacity, the country’s power grid remains vulnerable to technical failures, leaving citizens and industries frequently grappling with blackouts.
The TCN’s statement included a promise to investigate the cause of this latest grid collapse once power is fully restored. Many Nigerians are concerned about the frequency of these incidents, which have serious consequences for businesses, healthcare, and everyday life.
Nigeria’s electricity woes are not new. The power sector has been plagued by years of underinvestment, mismanagement, and technical challenges. Despite being one of Africa’s largest economies, the country has struggled to provide consistent and reliable electricity to its over 200 million citizens. As a result, blackouts and load shedding have become a routine part of life for many Nigerians.
The repeated grid failures have caused frustration across the country. Many Nigerians took to social media to express their anger and disappointment at yet another blackout.
Businesses, particularly in the industrial sector, have been hit hard by these outages. Manufacturers and small business owners who rely on electricity for production have been forced to turn to costly alternatives such as diesel generators, further driving up operational costs.
Healthcare facilities are also affected during power outages. Hospitals and clinics often struggle to maintain essential services without electricity, relying on backup generators to keep life-saving equipment running. But these solutions are not always sufficient, especially in rural areas where access to fuel can be limited.
