On Thursday, Nigeria experienced a widespread electricity distribution failure, resulting in extensive power outages across Africa’s largest economy.
In the early hours, power generation came to a complete halt, and later in the day, at 1030 GMT, it had only reached 273 megawatts (MW), a stark contrast to the daily average of 4,100 MW, according to data released by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
In Nigeria, a prominent oil and gas producer, the stability of grid power supply remains inconsistent, compelling households and businesses to rely on diesel and petrol generators for their energy needs.
In 2022, the grid experienced a minimum of four collapses, with authorities attributing these incidents to technical issues. Despite having an installed capacity of 12,500 MW in Nigeria, actual production only amounts to approximately one-quarter of that capacity.
President Bola Tinubu has pledged to enhance power supply by enabling state governments to construct their independent power plants, a strategic move to stimulate a sluggish economic growth trajectory.