Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate, has condemned the latest national grid collapse, calling it a continuation of a developing national catastrophe.
The national electrical grid failed on Friday, with generation falling drastically from more than 4,500 megawatts to as low as 24 MW by 1:30 p.m.
This caused power outages in homes and businesses around the country, disrupting supply for millions of customers.
During the incident, all 23 grid-connected power plants reportedly lost output, resulting in zero allocation to the nation’s 11 distribution corporations.
Obi stated in a statement posted on X on Saturday titled “2026: The Collapse Continues” that the grid breakdown in January 2026 paralleled events from the previous year, when the initial collapse of 2025 occurred in January and was followed by several others.
“In January 2025, we witnessed the first grid collapse of that year, which was followed by several other collapses. Now in January 2026, the national shame has commenced with yesterday’s collapse,” he said.
Obi bemoaned Nigeria’s lack of access to energy, pointing out that the country has been ranked last in the world for three years in a row.
“It is utterly disappointing that for three consecutive years—from 2023 to 2025—our nation has been ranked as having the least access to electricity globally, with nearly 100 million citizens left without power,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor contrasted Nigeria’s power generation capacity to that of other African countries and described the disparity as worrying.
“When we compare our situation to other African nations, the disparity is stark. When we compare our situation to other African nations, the disparity is stark. South Africa, with its population of about 64 million, generates and distributes over 40,000 megawatts. Egypt, with a population of about 115 million, also generates over 40,000 megawatts. Algeria, with a population of around 48 million, generates and distributes over 50,000 megawatts.
“Meanwhile, Nigeria, the giant of Africa and its most populous nation with over 240 million people, produces a mere 5,000 megawatts—an absurdly low figure that severely hampers our productivity,” Obi said.
Obi claimed that the ongoing electricity crisis was the result of governance failings, emphasizing the importance of strong leadership in the sector.
“This power crisis is a direct result of continuous leadership failures. The power sector is critical and requires competent and committed leadership to thrive,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Obi urged Nigerians to make leadership decisions based on competence and compassion.
“As we look towards 2027, Nigeria must prioritize competence and empathy in its leadership. It is time to elect individuals with the capacity and dedication necessary to initiate a significant turnaround for our nation. Anything less is unacceptable,” he said.
