The Nigerian power sector was thrown into chaos on Tuesday as the national grid collapsed for the second time in just four days, leaving millions of homes and businesses without electricity.

Reports from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) indicate that power generation nosedived to 39 megawatts at 11 a.m., down sharply from 3,825 MW an hour earlier. Earlier in the day, generation had peaked at 4,762 MW by 6 a.m.

This marks the third grid collapse in less than a month, following incidents on December 29, 2025, and January 23, 2026. At the time of Tuesday’s outage, load allocation to distribution companies was 0.00 MW, signaling a complete halt in electricity supply nationwide.

NISO confirmed the collapse occurred at 12:40 p.m., after multiple 330kV transmission lines tripped simultaneously, plunging the interconnected national grid into a system-wide blackout.

Speaking on the previous Friday collapse, NISO explained that a combination of faults across the network triggered a total outage, leaving the country without power for hours. The operator, however, has not yet provided an explanation for the latest disruption.

Analysts warn that repeated grid failures could worsen the already fragile power sector and affect economic activities across the country if urgent interventions are not implemented.

As Nigerians continue to experience unpredictable electricity supply, stakeholders are calling for immediate investigation and transparency from the authorities.