Incessant grid collapse choking businesses

By Merit Ibe

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has decried repeated collapse of the national grid, which it says underscores ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power sector, including infrastructure strain and generation shortfalls, leaving millions of homes and businesses frustrated.

The chamber therefore called on the Federal Government to undertake a forensic audit of the power infrastructure as a critical step toward identifying systemic failures and restoring stability to the electricity supply.

According to the Director-General of the chamber, Dr. Chinyere Almona, the recurrence of power outages and repeated collapses of the national grid, underscores deep structural and operational weaknesses in the power transmission system and poses a direct threat to manufacturers, MSMEs, and Nigeria’s overall business environment at a critical moment in the economy.

Based on recent patterns and in the absence of urgent structural fixes, the LCCI estimates that Nigeria could experience tens of grid collapses in 2026 under a “business-as-usual” scenario.

With immediate reforms, system upgrades, and strict operational discipline, this figure can be reduced to zero incidents, moving the country closer to grid reliability benchmarks required for economic consolidation.

The LCCI noted that repeated grid failures impose severe costs on businesses through lost production hours, damaged equipment, increased reliance on self-generation, higher operating expenses, and reduced competitiveness.

These disruptions weaken investor confidence, worsen inflationary pressures, and undermine the credibility of economic reforms.

LCCI therefore called on the Federal Government to take a decisive and transparent position by instituting an independent forensic audit of the national grid covering transmission infrastructure integrity, system protection schemes, operational protocols, and governance of grid management.

The findings should form a critical part of a grid performance system reform in the short term.

Without urgent intervention, recurring grid collapses will continue to undermine the government’s objective of entering a consolidation phase in 2026, while constraining productivity, exports, and job creation.

A reliable power supply is foundational to industrialisation, competitiveness, and macroeconomic stability.

The Chamber reiterated that restoring grid stability must be treated as an economic emergency, not merely a technical issue.

At this stage, the causes of these collapses should be well understood, better managed, and effectively prevented.

What we are witnessing today is therefore unacceptable and calls for decisive, coordinated action to safeguard national economic performance.