Electricity generation on Nigeria’s national grid has declined further, worsening the country’s ongoing power supply challenges across several states.
The development was disclosed by the National Grid Nigeria in a post shared on its official X account on Friday morning, indicating a sharp drop in power generation nationwide.
The latest decline continues a pattern of instability within the country’s electricity system, with multiple disruptions recorded earlier in the year that significantly reduced generation capacity, according to operational data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator.
Industry data shows that power generation on the grid stood at about 3,940.53 megawatts at approximately 5:00 a.m. on March 5, 2026. However, several generation units were forced offline between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. due to inadequate gas supply, resulting in an additional drop of about 292 megawatts in available electricity.
The reduced output severely constrained electricity available to distribution companies, leaving the country’s 11 power distribution firms with a combined allocation of about 2,830 megawatts.
The largest share of electricity supply went to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, which received about 490 megawatts. This was followed by Ikeja Electric with 484 megawatts and Eko Electricity Distribution Company with 413 megawatts.
Other allocations included about 306 megawatts to Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, 207 megawatts to Benin Electricity Distribution Company and 198 megawatts to Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.
Further down the list were 178 megawatts to Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, 173 megawatts to Kano Electricity Distribution Company, 161 megawatts to Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, 144 megawatts to Jos Electricity Distribution Company and 76 megawatts to Yola Electricity Distribution Company.
In several parts of the country, residents reported extended power outages over the past 24 hours, disrupting daily activities and economic operations.
The power shortage highlights the severity of Nigeria’s electricity crisis. Despite possessing large natural gas reserves, inadequate gas supply to power plants, transmission challenges and years of underinvestment continue to limit electricity generation.
Nigeria currently generates less than 5,000 megawatts for a population estimated at over 200 million people, according to reports by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has continued efforts to diversify electricity sources through renewable energy initiatives. Under a nationwide rural electrification programme, more than 200 megawatts of solar power is expected to be added to the country’s energy mix through over 1,000 mini-grid projects being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency.
The projects are part of a broader programme aimed at expanding electricity access, particularly in underserved rural communities.
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