Headlines
Power Grid Collapses Again, Second Time in 48 Hours As Stakeholders Resume Meeting
Nigeria’s electricity grid collapsed around 5pm on Tuesday, which was less barely 48 hours after it collapsed on Monday, a development that caused widespread darkness across the country.
Power distribution companies again alerted their customers about the collapse, as it was gathered that the meeting summoned by the Federal Government on Monday over issues in the sector, had to drag on till late night on Tuesday.
The grid collapse further prolonged the blackouts witnessed across the country, amidst the current energy crisis in the petroleum sector in Nigeria.
In a public announcement to its customers on Tuesday, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company described the collapse of the grid as total.
It said, “Dear esteemed customers, we regret to inform you of a total system collapse on the national grid at 1709hours of today Tuesday, March 15, 2022 leading to outages across our network.
“We are closely monitoring the situation with our TCN (Transmission Company of Nigeria) partners and will keep you updated on the situation. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.”
Also, the Head, Corporate Communications, Ikeja Electric Plc, Mr Felix Ofulue, confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
Eko Electricity Distribution Company also confirmed the partial collapse of the grid in a public notice.
Power distributors said the collapse had disrupted power supply within their networks as customers were experiencing blackouts nationwide.
In a notice to power users in its franchise area, Eko Disco said, “Dear esteemed customers, we would like to inform you of another system collapse on the national grid which occurred at 5:10pm today (Tuesday).
“We are monitoring the situation and will continue to provide updates. Once again we apologise for the inconvenience.”
Industry sources stated that at the time of second on Tuesday, no power generation company was supplying electricity on the grid.
They stated that latest grid collapse was multiple, especially from the gas-fired power plants, adding efforts were made to supply electricity to the Federal Capital Territory using the hydro-power plants in Niger State.
Also, sources at the ministry blamed the activities of vandals for the loss in power generation, stressing that some gas pipelines had been ruptured and that this had also prevented the flow of gas to thermal power plants.
On the meeting summoned on Monday by the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, it was gathered that it went on till past midnight on Monday and continued till past 10pm on Tuesday when The Punch filed in this report.
British Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on Monday announced his resignation, bringing an abrupt end to a premiership that began with Labour’s landslide general election victory in July 2024.
Starmer made the announcement in a statement outside 10 Downing Street, where he reflected on his time in office and defended his record in government.
“Every decision I have made has been about putting the country I love first,” Starmer said as he confirmed he would step down as both prime minister and leader of the governing Labour Party.
The resignation marks a dramatic political development in the United Kingdom, coming barely two years after Starmer led Labour back to power following more than a decade in opposition.
His departure is expected to trigger a swift leadership transition within the party at a time of heightened political uncertainty.
Addressing supporters gathered outside Downing Street, Starmer described entering No. 10 in 2024 as “the proudest moment” of his life, saying he entered politics with the goal of improving the lives of millions of people.
The outgoing prime minister also highlighted what he considered some of his key achievements, including rebuilding the Labour Party after years of internal divisions and restoring public confidence in the party’s economic and national security credentials.
Starmer said he inherited a Labour Party that was “politically, financially and morally bankrupt” and faced repeated predictions that it was finished as a political force.
He argued that his leadership helped transform the party, including efforts to tackle anti-Semitism and reposition Labour as a credible alternative government.
His resignation has immediately intensified speculation over his successor. Attention has turned to Andy Burnham, who recently won the Makerfield by-election and is due to be sworn in as a Member of Parliament.
Political observers and Labour insiders believe Burnham could emerge as the overwhelming favourite to take over the party leadership. Some party members are already discussing the possibility of a “coronation” process in which Burnham becomes the sole candidate, avoiding a prolonged leadership contest.
If that scenario unfolds, Labour could have a new leader and prime minister in place by September, around the time of the party’s annual conference.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Source: Reuters
