TCN Faults Ikeja Electric Over Lagos Outages, Says 68% of Cuts Were Load Shedding

The Transmission Company of Nigeria has rejected Ikeja Electric's explanation that national grid instability caused the power outages recorded in parts of Lagos on November 3 and 4. TCN said its records show no equipment failure or transmission line trip was responsible for the interruptions it examined.

In a statement issued on Friday, the transmission company said declining electricity generation and operational problems inside Ikeja Electric's own network were largely to blame, and accused the distribution company of misleading consumers.

What TCN's figures show for November 1 and 2

TCN broke down the outages recorded on November 1 and 2. It said 68% came from frequency-control load shedding triggered by insufficient electricity generation.

Another 26% was traced to Ikeja Electric's failure to comply with electricity allocation directives, alongside faults and maintenance work within its distribution network. The remaining 6% came from TCN's scheduled maintenance, switching operations and transmission line limitations.

TCN noted that these figures cover November 1 and 2, which came before the November 3 and 4 outages referenced in Ikeja Electric's public notice.

The 46 feeders in Ikeja Electric's notice

TCN also reviewed 46 interruptions affecting the 33kV feeders named in Ikeja Electric's communication. Of that number, 29 were linked to frequency-control load shedding and 14 to the distribution company's operations.

Nine of those 14 interruptions resulted from noncompliance with load allocation instructions, while five involved faults or trips within Ikeja Electric's network. The remaining three were tied to scheduled maintenance on TCN's Ogba-Alimosho transmission line on November 1.

TCN added that a cable fault on November 2 affected the Rack Centre feeder, and said Ikeja Electric's technical team later repaired it.

Gas supply, water inflows and the NISO question

The transmission company said the Nigerian Independent System Operator had already explained that generation fell because of inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants and reduced water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs. That cut the power available for distribution nationwide and forced distribution companies to shed load and reduce supply hours.

TCN argued that determining the cause of grid disturbances falls under NISO's statutory responsibilities, citing Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023. It urged Ikeja Electric and other distribution companies to verify outage information with NISO before telling the public what went wrong.

The company warned that wrongly blaming transmission infrastructure for generation shortages could confuse consumers and weaken confidence in the electricity industry. It sympathised with customers facing reduced supply and promised to transmit available power safely and efficiently.

What it means for Lagos businesses

The dispute points to a wider accountability problem in a sector where households and small businesses still budget heavily for diesel and petrol generators. It also sits beside consumer protection pressure. The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency said it resolved 528 complaints against Ikeja Electric between January and September 2026, recovering more than ₦26 million in refunds and credit adjustments for affected customers.