Nigeria power outages blamed on gas shortages as NNPC denies responsibility

Nigeria's Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said worsening electricity disruptions in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo states were caused by maintenance and operational challenges, gas shortages at thermal plants and reduced hydropower output. He said preliminary assessments showed the outages were not due to a major or systemic failure of the national grid.

Tegbe added that affected areas had recently seen noticeable improvements in supply before the latest disruptions. He said the government was working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Nigerian Independent System Operator and distribution companies to restore normal supply.

“NGIC's operational records do not indicate transportation-related constraints within its network that explain the current decline in electricity generation.”

The Nigerian Independent System Operator identified inadequate gas supply and lower water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs as major constraints on national grid generation. Distribution data showed the 11 electricity distribution companies received a combined allocation of 2,926 megawatts at 4:41 pm on Thursday, 5 November 2026.

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received the highest allocation of 633 megawatts, about 21.6 percent of the total. Ibadan Disco followed with 391 megawatts, Port Harcourt Disco with 320 megawatts, Benin Disco with 264 megawatts, Eko Disco with 256 megawatts, Enugu Disco with 253 megawatts and Ikeja Disco with 249 megawatts.

Kano Disco received 173 megawatts, Kaduna Disco 167 megawatts, Jos Disco 146 megawatts and Yola Disco 74 megawatts, the lowest allocation. The figures represent load allocated to distribution companies, not necessarily electricity delivered to consumers.

NNPC Limited countered the claims, saying its gas network remained available to support deliveries to power stations nationwide. Its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said operational records did not indicate transportation-related constraints explaining the current decline in generation.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria also rejected claims by Ikeja Electric that several Band A feeder outages were due to grid instability. Tegbe promised supply to Abuja, Lagos, Kwara and Oyo would improve within 24 hours.