A major blackout hit parts of Nigeria’s grid today after the Egbin Power Plant, one of the country’s largest electricity generators, was forced to shut down completely.

The sudden closure followed a heartbreaking accident during routine maintenance work. A contractor working deep underwater at the facility lost his life while trying to fix a critical fault.

The incident happened when the contractor was carrying out underwater repairs inside the plant’s cooling water intake system. These kinds of repairs are highly dangerous and require special skills and equipment. For reasons still being investigated, the man died at the scene. Plant officials immediately stopped all operations to secure the area. The name of the contractor has not yet been released, but authorities have informed his family.

Egbin Power Plant is located in Ikorodu, Lagos State, and plays a huge role in keeping Nigeria’s lights on. With a capacity of over 1,300 megawatts, it supplies about a third of the country’s grid-connected electricity. When the plant shut down, the national grid lost a big chunk of its power. Many parts of Lagos and other states immediately experienced blackouts or severe voltage drops.

Safety experts are questioning how such a tragedy could happen during a carefully planned maintenance job. Underwater welding and repair work is always risky, but there are strict international safety standards to protect workers. An official investigation has been launched to find the exact cause. Meanwhile, labour unions in the power sector are calling for a full safety review at all plants.

For ordinary Nigerians, this accident is another blow to an already fragile power supply. Many were already dealing with high fuel prices for generators, and now they face more hours of darkness. The management of Egbin Power Plant has promised to support the dead worker’s family. It is still unclear when the plant will restart operations. For now, the nation mourns a worker who lost his life trying to keep the country running.