EXPLAINER: Why National Grid is trending again

The National Grid is currently trending again on social media, particularly X, due to a significant power crisis in Nigeria.  

Tribune Online recently reports that the grid experienced two major collapses within a 24-hour period earlier this week, leaving millions of Nigerians without electricity and prompting widespread public concern.  

The National Grid, which collapsed on Tuesday, October 15, shortly after a previous failure on Monday, October 14, resulted in a total blackout across various regions, affecting multiple electricity distribution companies (DisCos) such as Eko, Kaduna, and Enugu.  

Following this development, various DisCos have communicated with their customers about the outages, assuring them that restoration efforts are underway.  

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in an update earlier this week regarding the outages, stated that recovery efforts were progressing, with approximately 90% of substations nationwide expected to be back online soon.  

However, in a recent update from the Nigeria National Grid account on X, many DisCos were still reporting zero megawatts of power being distributed, suggesting that the grid has collapsed yet again.  

The post, which has now gone viral, read:  “DisCo Load 08:40 a.m:  

Abuja DisCo – 0 MW  

Benin DisCo – 0 MW  

Eko DisCo – 0 MW  

Enugu DisCo – 0 MW  

Ibadan DisCo – 0 MW  

Ikeja DisCo – 0 MW  

Jos DisCo – 0 MW  

Kaduna DisCo – 0 MW  

Kano DisCo – 0 MW  

P-Harcourt DisCo – 0 MW  

Yola DisCo – 0 MW  

Total: 0 MW  

Expected: ~4,800 MW.”  

Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in his reaction to the recurring grid collapse, described it as inevitable and attributed Nigeria’s frequent national grid issue to outdated infrastructure.  

While speaking recently at the unveiling of Hexing Livoltek, a new electricity meter manufacturing company in Lagos, Adelabu said, “We keep talking about grid collapse. Grid collapse whether it’s a total collapse, partial collapse, or slight trip-off. This is almost inevitable as it is today given the state of our power infrastructure.

“The infrastructure is in deplorable conditions so why won’t you have trip-offs? Why won’t you have collapses, either total or partial? It will continue to remain like this until we can overhaul the entire infrastructure. What we do now is to make sure that we manage it.”

As of the time of filing this report, TCN, however, is yet to comment on the reports of the new collapse. 

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