- Electricity consumers in Lagos, Abuja and other affected states continue to experience blackouts despite the Minister of Power’s 72-hour restoration assurance.
- NNPC and the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) have disputed responsibility for the decline in electricity generation.
Electricity supply remains unstable across Lagos, Abuja and other affected states as government officials and energy institutions trade blame over the persistent national grid shortfall.
The prolonged outages have increased pressure on households and businesses already struggling with high fuel prices and rising temperatures. Many consumers have turned to generators and other alternative power sources at additional costs.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, had earlier assured Nigerians that electricity supply would gradually improve within 48 to 72 hours as generating units returned to service. However, the promised improvement has yet to materialise across the affected areas.
NNPC Disputes Gas Supply Constraints
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) attributed the decline in electricity generation to limited gas supplies to thermal power plants and reduced water levels at hydroelectric facilities.
NISO explained that inadequate gas availability had restricted the operating capacity of affected thermal generating stations. It also identified reduced water inflows into reservoirs as a constraint on hydropower generation.
Tegbe also cited planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station, which supplies approximately 16 per cent of grid electricity, alongside gas constraints and the sabotage of transmission lines.
He said grid operators had introduced load shedding in some areas to manage the generation shortfall. He added that attacks on key transmission lines had restricted alternative transmission routes.
However, NNPC Limited rejected claims that its gas transportation network caused the supply constraints. The company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said the NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited (NGIC) network remained available to support gas deliveries to power plants.
He added that NGIC’s operational records showed no transportation-related constraints that could explain the decline in electricity generation.
Odeh also disclosed that gas production had increased by approximately 10 per cent year-to-date in 2026. He argued that stakeholders must distinguish between gas production, transportation, commercial arrangements and actual offtake.
TCN Rejects Transmission Failure Claims
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) also rejected claims by Ikeja Electric that grid instability caused the outages. TCN maintained that low electricity generation, rather than transmission failure, accounted for the supply shortfall.
The company explained that it could only transmit the electricity available from generating stations. Meanwhile, several distribution companies have introduced electricity rationing to manage the reduced supply.
Experts Identify Structural Challenges
Energy experts have criticised the institutional disagreements, describing them as evidence of persistent weaknesses across Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
Energy expert Rasheed Adeleke said Nigeria should not experience persistent gas shortages given its substantial natural gas reserves. He criticised the repeated blame between sector institutions and called for stronger governance and compliance with established industry rules.
At a recent Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria energy conference in Lagos, Senior Technical Adviser on Upstream and Gas, Gbite Adeniji, also highlighted the sector’s liquidity crisis.
Adeniji said the government must settle outstanding debts and provide credible financial backing to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET). He explained that delayed payments to gas suppliers had affected the entire electricity value chain, limiting their ability to supply power plants.
He stressed that resolving payment challenges would improve gas offtake and strengthen electricity generation.