Millions of Nigerians were thrown into darkness on Monday, December 29, 2025, following another collapse of the national power grid. This latest incident is the fourth grid collapse recorded in the country in 2025, raising fresh concerns about the stability of Nigeria’s electricity supply.
The collapse happened around 2:02 pm, according to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC). The incident led to a widespread power outage across major parts of the country, including Abuja, Nasarawa and Kogi states, which are under AEDC’s coverage area.
As soon as the grid went down, homes, offices, factories and small businesses were left without electricity. Many Nigerians were forced to rely on generators and alternative power sources, leading to higher fuel costs and disruption of daily activities.
The repeated grid failures have caused serious financial losses for businesses and individuals who depend on public power supply. Experts estimate that billions of naira are lost each time the grid collapses, especially by manufacturing firms, service providers, hospitals, and small businesses such as barbers, welders and cold room operators.
Shortly after the collapse, the Nigeria National Grid provided an update on social media platform X, stating that efforts were underway to restore power. According to the update, electricity allocation, which dropped to about 50 megawatts when the grid collapsed, rose to 2,958 megawatts by 10:17 pm on Monday.
With the gradual restoration of the grid on Monday night, power supply was shared among the electricity distribution companies, also known as DisCos. Abuja DisCo received 453 megawatts, Ikeja DisCo got 447 megawatts, and Eko DisCo received 380 megawatts. Ibadan DisCo was allocated 354 megawatts, while Benin DisCo received 241 megawatts.
Others include Enugu DisCo with 230 megawatts, Port Harcourt DisCo with 210 megawatts, Kano DisCo with 199 megawatts, Kaduna DisCo with 191 megawatts, Jos DisCo with 167 megawatts, and Yola DisCo with 86 megawatts.
Despite this update, many Nigerians reported that electricity supply had not been restored in their areas as of Monday night. Several DisCos also confirmed that many customers were still experiencing blackouts, hours after the announcement of grid restoration.
The national grid is the main system that transmits electricity generated from power stations across Nigeria to homes and businesses. When the grid collapses, power supply is cut off nationwide or in large parts of the country. Nigeria has suffered frequent grid collapses over the years, though there were hopes that improvements made in recent times had reduced such incidents.
Earlier in 2025, the country recorded three similar grid collapses, causing public frustration and renewed debate about the need to upgrade Nigeria’s power infrastructure. Many Nigerians had believed that the power sector was becoming more stable, especially compared to previous years.
Reacting to the latest incident, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr. Muda Yusuf, expressed disappointment over the continued grid failures. He said it was worrying that Nigeria is still struggling with grid collapses at this stage of its development.
According to Dr. Yusuf, the timing of the latest collapse is particularly troubling because it comes at the end of the year, a period when businesses are usually busy trying to meet targets and prepare for the new year.
“We thought that we had gone past this because this year has been relatively stable,” he said. “But now we have this collapse. It’s not a good way to end the year. But we can only hope that it’s something that we fix very quickly.”
He warned that if power is not fully restored within 24 hours, businesses could suffer heavy losses. Many firms depend on steady electricity to operate machines, store goods, and provide services. Prolonged outages often force them to spend more on diesel and petrol to power generators.
Small business owners were among those most affected by the blackout. In many cities, traders closed shops early, while others passed the cost of running generators to customers by increasing prices. Some residents complained that they could not pump water, charge phones, or preserve food items.
Nigeria’s power sector has faced long-standing challenges, including poor infrastructure, gas supply problems, vandalism, and limited investment. While the country has several power generation plants, weaknesses in transmission and distribution often lead to system failures.