ABUJA – The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has identified the root cause of Tuesday’s nationwide power outage, tracing it to a voltage disturbance at the Gombe transmission substation.
In an update on Wednesday, NISO clarified that the incident was a “partial system collapse,” not a total failure, contradicting earlier widespread reports. The fault, which originated in Gombe, propagated to other key transmission substations including Jebba, Kainji, and Ayede, causing multiple generating units and transmission lines to trip.
“The event was accompanied by the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, resulting in a partial system collapse,” NISO stated. The organization emphasized that corrective actions were deployed immediately, leading to the full restoration of the national grid and electricity supply across affected areas within hours.
Tuesday’s disturbance was the second such incident in 2026, following a pattern of recurring grid instability. In 2025 alone, the grid collapsed multiple times, with the last incident occurring on December 29. The repeated failures have drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures and heightened public frustration over the country’s unreliable power infrastructure.
While power has been restored, the identification of the Gombe substation as a critical vulnerability underscores the ongoing technical challenges plaguing Nigeria’s electricity transmission network.
Read more on the political fallout: Peter Obi Recalls Tinubu’s Promise as Grid Collapses Again
—
Disclaimer: This is an update based on the latest technical briefing from the system operator. The causes of recurrent grid failures are often complex and multi-faceted, involving generation, transmission, and distribution issues.
© 2026 CDA News Nigeria. All rights reserved.
