The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has expressed disappointment over the persistent electricity grid collapse in the country.
Mr Obi, who expressed dismay in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, urged Nigerians to demand accountability and responsible leadership, so as to save themselves from the indignity and suffering caused by persistent bad governance.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s campaign promise in 2022 was clear: “If I do not provide steady electricity in my first four years, do not vote for me for a second term.”
Yet, he said in January 2026 alone, the national grid has already collapsed twice, and the month is not even over.
Recalling that the grid collapsed about twelve times last year, Obi said the reality sharply contradicts the promise and should worry every patriotic Nigerian.
At the same time, he said the President is on another foreign trip, this time to Turkey, a country of about 87 million people—roughly a third of Nigeria’s population. Yet Turkey generates and distributes over 120,000 megawatts of electricity, while Nigeria struggles with less than 5% of that capacity.
“The contrast is both striking and painful. Our appeal is simple: stay at home and confront the nation’s problems. At this rate, we may soon hear of trips to Palau or Vanuatu while critical issues remain unattended at home.
“And yet, our collective preoccupation seems to be the next election, rather than how to secure good governance. We should be joining hands to demand accountability and responsible leadership, and to save Nigerians from the indignity and suffering caused by persistent bad governance,” he said.
Recall that the National Grid collapsed yesterday, the second in the month of January 2026, under the Supervision of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).
The System Operator while confirming the grid collapse in a statement said the national grid experienced a voltage disturbance which originated from the Gombe Transmission Substation, at about 10:48 hours on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
NISO explained that the voltage disturbance rapidly propagated across the network, affecting Jebba, Kainji, and subsequently Ayede Transmission Substations.
It noted that the event was accompanied by the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, resulting in a partial system collapse.
However, it disclosed that appropriate corrective actions were immediately implemented to stabilize the system and restore normal operations.
