… Grid “Dies, Wakes Up, Reincarnates” in Yet Another Endless Cycle
By Jeremy Fregene
Nigeria’s much-troubled national electricity grid, often likened to an abíkú: the proverbial spirit child born to die and return again, has once more staged a familiar resurrection, with regulators announcing that power supply has been fully restored nationwide.
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) confirmed yesterday that electricity supply had returned to normal after the latest disturbance that plunged parts of the country into darkness, insisting that the grid is now operating at full capacity and stable…at least for now.
In a statement, NISO said the incident began with a voltage disturbance that rippled through key nodes of the transmission network, affecting the Jebba and Kainji hydro stations as well as the Ayede transmission substation. The disturbance triggered the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, resulting in what the operator described as a partial, not total, system collapse.
“Corrective actions were immediately implemented to stabilise the system,” NISO said, noting that restoration efforts commenced around 11:11 a.m. and were concluded shortly thereafter, restoring supply to affected areas.
While some media reports described the incident as another full-scale grid collapse, the operator was quick to clarify that the outage did not bring down the entire network, a distinction that offers only cold comfort to consumers long accustomed to sudden blackouts and dramatic comebacks.
Still, the episode has reinforced the grid’s abíkú reputation: dying unexpectedly, reviving quickly, and repeating the cycle, sometimes several times within a single week, leaving households and businesses in a state of anxious anticipation.
NISO said the swift recovery reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure and reduce the impact of system disturbances, adding that the restoration should reassure homes and industries dependent on steady power for productivity and growth.
Established under the Electricity Act 2023 after the unbundling of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), NISO operates as an independent, non-profit entity responsible for grid management, market administration and system planning. It was inaugurated in March 2025, with Dr. Adesegun Akin-Olugbade as Chairman and Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
Through real-time system operations, market coordination and oversight of critical infrastructure such as SCADA and regional control centres in Lagos, Abuja, Benin and other zones, NISO is mandated to do what many Nigerians still view as unfinished spiritual work: breaking the national grid’s cycle of collapse and reincarnation, and finally persuading the abíkú to stay alive.