ABUJA/LAGOS — Nigeria’s state oil company and the national grid operator are publicly trading blame over the causes of widespread electricity outages, leaving households and businesses across major cities in prolonged darkness even as generation on the national grid continues to fall.
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) on November 5 attributed the sharp decline in electricity generation primarily to limited gas availability for thermal power stations and reduced water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs. The shortfall has forced distribution companies (DisCos) to implement heavier load shedding, cutting supply hours for consumers in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara, Oyo and other states.
NISO said the constrained gas supply prevented thermal plants from operating at available capacity, while lower reservoir levels reduced output from hydro stations. The resulting drop in available power has reduced energy allocations to DisCos, leading to more frequent and longer outages.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has strongly rejected any suggestion that its gas infrastructure is at fault. In a statement issued by Chief Corporate Communications Officer Andy Odeh, the company insisted that the gas transportation network operated by its subsidiary, NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited (NGIC), remains fully available and free of constraints.
“NGIC’s operational records do not indicate transportation-related constraints within its network that explain the current decline in electricity generation,” NNPCL stated. The company added that gas production volumes have grown by approximately 10 per cent year-to-date in 2026, driven by the Federal Government’s gas development and monetisation agenda. It stressed that pipeline availability must be distinguished from gas production levels, commercial supply contracts, and actual deliveries to individual power plants.
NNPCL called for a coordinated review of operational data involving gas suppliers, transporters, generating stations and NISO to pinpoint the exact bottlenecks and guide interventions.
Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has rejected claims by some DisCos, particularly Ikeja Electric, that “grid instability” or failures on the transmission network caused recent Band A feeder outages in Lagos. TCN described those attributions as “inaccurate and misleading.”
Citing Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, TCN noted that determining the root causes of grid disturbances is the exclusive responsibility of NISO. The transmission company said NISO had already identified gas constraints and reduced hydro output as the drivers of lower generation. “TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated,” it stated.
TCN data showed that of interruptions on feeders supplying Ikeja Electric on November 1 and 2, 68 per cent were frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation, 26 per cent stemmed from the DisCo’s non-compliance with load allocations or faults on its own network, and only 6 per cent related to TCN’s planned maintenance or switching. None were attributed to equipment faults on the transmission system.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe has acknowledged the strain on households and businesses, linking the outages in part to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station (which supplies a significant share of grid power), gas supply constraints, and other factors. He has assured that supply to affected areas, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, would begin improving within 48 to 72 hours as restoration efforts continue.
The finger-pointing has left many Nigerians frustrated. DisCos continue to point upstream to inadequate allocations from TCN, TCN and NISO point to generation shortfalls driven by gas and hydro constraints, and NNPCL insists its pipelines are ready and production is rising. The result is a familiar cycle of mutual recrimination while lights stay off in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.
Analysts note that Nigeria’s power sector has long suffered from fragmented accountability across the gas-to-power value chain. Thermal plants, which dominate generation, depend heavily on reliable gas deliveries, yet commercial, technical and operational issues frequently interrupt the flow. Hydro stations remain vulnerable to seasonal water levels. Without clearer coordination and transparent data sharing, the pattern of outages and blame-shifting is likely to persist.
As of Sunday, generation remains constrained and load shedding continues in many distribution networks. Consumers are left waiting for the parties involved to move beyond public statements and resolve the bottlenecks keeping the lights out.
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