Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has criticised Nigeria’s latest national electricity grid collapse, describing it as another sign of a worsening national emergency.
The national power grid collapsed on Friday, with electricity generation falling steeply from above 4,500 megawatts to as low as 24 megawatts by about 1:30 pm. The disruption left homes and businesses across Nigeria without electricity and affected millions of customers.
Reports said all 23 power plants connected to the grid lost output during the incident, leading to zero allocation to Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies.
In a statement shared on X on Saturday and titled “2026: The Collapse Continues”, Obi said the latest failure in January 2026 reflected what happened the previous year, noting that the first collapse of 2025 also occurred in January and was followed by several more breakdowns.
“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, who previously served as governor of Anambra State in south-east Nigeria, said the country’s electricity situation remained among the worst in the world, stressing that millions of Nigerians still lived without power.
“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.
He compared Nigeria’s power generation with other African countries, saying the difference showed how far Nigeria had fallen despite being the continent’s most populous nation.
“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 about 115 million population, also generates over 40,000 megawatts. Algeria, with around 48 million population, 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.
Okay News reports that Obi linked the recurring power failures to leadership problems, arguing that the electricity sector needs serious competence and commitment to perform.
“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 Nigeria’s next general elections in 2027, Obi urged voters to focus on competence and compassion when choosing leaders, saying the country needed people with the ability to drive a real turnaround.
“As we look towards 2027, Nigeria must prioritise 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.
