The first official statements from the power distribution companies admit that the national power grid collapsed “due to technical failures” but refrain from identifying the nature of the breaks in question.

The crisis covers the 36 states into which this country is divided, the most populated of the continent, in one of which, Borno (east) is the headquarters of the Islamist group Boko Haram, whose members could use the darkness to carry out armed actions against military and civilian facilities.

The worst of the case is that nobody knows when the service will be restored, according to a statement from the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, the power supplier to southeastern Nigeria, which admits unequivocally that “there is a total collapse of the system”.

The incident comes as no surprise to Nigerians, who are aware that their power grid is obsolete and power cuts are almost daily, forcing those who have the means to buy portable generators.

However, this solution is painful for customers’ pockets, especially since the government recently withdrew the fuel subsidy as part of President Bola Tinubu’s program to clean up the economy.

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