LCCI, Other Stakeholders Demand Forensic Audit After Second Grid Collapse In Five Days

…Abuja, Others Plunged Into Darkness

…Power Ministry Earmarks N100m For Fuel In 2026

Nigeria’s electricity grid collapsed on Tuesday, making it the second time in five days this year.

THE WHISTLER recalls that Nigeria experienced its first grid collapse on Friday, January 23, 2026.

EKO Electricity Distribution Company (EKDC) confirmed this on Tuesday morning, stating that the incident occurred around 10:48 am.

However, a check on the website of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that not all the Discos had been allocated supply as of 10:54 am.

Also, only the Delta gas power plant was generating electricity as of 11:14 am with 39 megawatts on the grid.

The incident also plunged Abuja, the country’s seat of power and major cities into darkness.

A few hours later, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) announced that the national grid was fully restored and electricity supply across the affected areas returned to normal.

The management of NISO in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, stated that the national grid experienced a voltage disturbance which originated from the Gombe Transmission Substation.

It said the voltage disturbance rapidly propagated across the network, affecting Jebba, Kainji, and subsequently Ayede transmission substations.

”The event was accompanied by the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, resulting in a partial system collapse.

”Appropriate corrective actions were immediately implemented to stabilise the system and restore normal operations.

”Restoration, which began at about 11:11am has since been completed,” NISO said.

The system operator said that the incident only affected part of the grid, adding that it was not a total collapse as reported by some media organisations.

Reacting to the development,
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) called for an independent forensic audit of Nigeria’s national electricity grid following the second system collapse in just five days.

It warned that repeatedNational grid outages pose a serious threat to industrial growth, job creation, and overall economic stability.

LCCI expressed deep concern over the persistent failures, which plunged the country into darkness and disrupted economic activity nationwide.

The Chamber noted that these recurrent collapses highlight fundamental structural and operational weaknesses within the power transmission system.

According to the LCCI, without immediate reforms and system upgrades, Nigeria could face tens of grid collapses in 2026 under a “business-as-usual” scenario.

“Conversely, decisive intervention and strict operational discipline could reduce such incidents to zero, moving the country closer to global benchmarks for grid reliability”, LCCI said.

The Chamber stressed that repeated outages impose high costs on businesses, including lost production hours, damaged equipment, increased reliance on self-generation, higher operating expenses, and reduced competitiveness.

These disruptions, it said, also undermine investor confidence, exacerbate inflationary pressures, and threaten the credibility of ongoing economic reforms.

LCCI’s Director-General, Dr Chinyere Almona, urged the Federal Government to take a transparent and decisive stance by commissioning a comprehensive forensic audit of the grid.

The audit, the Chamber recommended, should examine transmission infrastructure integrity, system protection protocols, operational procedures, and governance of grid management, forming the basis for urgent performance reforms.

“Reliable power supply is foundational to industrialisation, competitiveness, and macroeconomic stability.
Restoring grid stability must be treated as an economic emergency, not merely a technical issue.

“The recurring collapses we are witnessing are unacceptable and require coordinated action to safeguard national economic performance”, the LCCI statement said.

Also speaking, an electricity consumer, Inem Vick, called for urgent action to halt the frequent grid collapse in the country.

Another consumer, Matthew Itiku, alleged that the country’s grid is obsolete and questioned its usefulness.

He said: “Of what use is the obsolete national grid that cannot boast of a steady power supply to major parts of the nation at its peak in this 21st century?”

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Power has earmarked N100m for fuel and lubricants in its proposed N1.107tn 2026 budget.

A breakdown of the fuel-related provisions by THE WHISTLER shows that N50m was allocated to general fuel and lubricants.

Also, the sum of N35m was allocated for motor vehicle fuel costs, and N15m for fuel for other transport equipment.

THE WHISTLER reports that the ministry proposed to spend N1,107,103,148,958 in 2026, with capital projects accounting for the larger share of the budget.

A breakdown of the budget shows that the sum of N4.21bn was proposed for the overhead cost, personnel cost to gulp N6.17bn; while the capital expenditure would take N1.096tn.

However, the proposed budget is expected to go through scrutiny at the National Assembly in the coming weeks as part of the 2026 appropriation process.

LCCI, Other Stakeholders Demand Forensic Audit After Second Grid Collapse In Five Days is first published on The Whistler Newspaper