Power Outage Disrupts Festive Activities

Festive celebrations across several cities have been significantly disrupted by widespread power outages, dampening the holiday mood for families, businesses, and event organisers during the peak of the yuletide season

In Nigeria, residents in major urban centres and rural communities alike reported prolonged electricity cuts throughout the Christmas and end-of-year holidays. The outages affected household celebrations, religious programmes, street carnivals, and social gatherings, forcing many families to rely on generators, candles, and rechargeable lamps. Small businesses, particularly those dependent on refrigeration, lighting, and entertainment, recorded losses as operating costs surged due to rising fuel prices. Many residents expressed frustration that power supply deteriorated at a time traditionally reserved for rest and celebration. “We planned family gatherings and community events, but without light everything became difficult,” a Lagos resident said. Similar complaints were recorded in parts of the South-East, North-Central, and South-South, where intermittent supply disrupted church services and outdoor festivities. Electricity distribution companies attributed the situation to grid instability, technical faults, and load management challenges, while officials of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) have repeatedly blamed vandalism of power infrastructure and ageing equipment for frequent system collapses and outages. Despite assurances that engineers were working round the clock to restore supply, many communities experienced darkness well into the holiday period Beyond Nigeria, festive power disruptions were also reported in other parts of the world. In Johannesburg, South Africa, load shedding and unplanned outages affected Christmas celebrations, while in San Francisco, United States, power failures linked to infrastructure faults and severe weather led to the cancellation or postponement of holiday events and disrupted public transport. Energy experts note that the recurring festive-season outages highlight deeper structural problems in electricity infrastructure, including insufficient generation capacity, weak transmission networks, and poor maintenance culture. They warn that unless urgent investments and reforms are implemented, power disruptions will continue to affect social and economic activities during critical periods. As the New Year approaches, many Nigerians are calling on the Federal Government and power sector stakeholders to ensure improved electricity supply, stressing that reliable power remains essential not only for celebrations but for economic recovery and national development.