The Federal Government agency made this clarification in a statement on Friday.
TCN said: “Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has noted the public notice published by Ikeja Electric, IKEDC, on November 5, 2026, in which several Band A feeder outages recorded on November 3 and 4, 2026, were attributed to ‘grid instability’ and assigned to TCN as the responsible party.
“TCN wishes to state clearly that this attribution is inaccurate and misleading for the following reasons.
“In its public clarification of November 5, 2026, NISO attributed the current decline in power generation to constraints in gas supply to thermal power stations and reduced output from hydroelectric stations due to lower reservoir inflows. NISO explained that this reduced available generation, which, in turn, reduced the energy allocated to DisCos, leading to fewer hours of electricity supply and increased load shedding across distribution networks. The impact on each DisCo varies according to available generation and its allocation.
“The facts are inconsistent with the ‘grid instability’ claim.
“The shortfall in supply to IKEDC’s customers is a consequence of reduced generation and the resulting allocation, not a failure of TCN’s transmission network. TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated.
“The records for all feeders supplying IKEDC confirm the national picture described by NISO. Of the interruptions recorded on November 1 and 2, 68 per cent were frequency-control load shedding arising from low generation. A further 26 per cent were due to IKEDC’s non-compliance with load allocation by NISO’s National Control Centre, NCC, or to faults and maintenance works on IKEDC’s own network. The remaining six per cent were caused by TCN’s planned maintenance, switching or line limitations. None of the recorded interruptions resulted from a TCN equipment fault or trip.
“The feeders named in IKEDC’s notice do not support the claim either.
“Of the 46 interruptions recorded on the 33kV feeders named in the notice, 29 were frequency-control load shedding arising from low generation, while 14 were recorded against IKEDC: nine for non-compliance with load allocation and five for faults or trips on its own network. The remaining three were caused by scheduled TCN maintenance on the Ogba–Alimosho line on November 1. On November 2, for example, the Rack Centre feeder was interrupted by a cable fault on IKEDC’s network, which its own crew repaired. IKEDC’s notice itself assigns several of these feeders, including MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, to IKEDC (‘IE’) for 33kV faults.
“IKEDC’s position is therefore out of step with the true state of the Nigerian electricity supply industry. Attributing shortfalls caused by generation constraints to TCN misinforms customers, undermines public confidence and obscures the real challenges that all stakeholders must work together to resolve.
“TCN therefore urges IKEDC and all other DisCos to desist forthwith from making unfounded claims about the causes of supply shortfalls to their customers. DisCos should communicate based on verified information from NISO, the body responsible for the operation of the grid.
“TCN also urges electricity customers to refer to NISO’s official platforms for accurate information on the state of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
“TCN sympathises with customers affected by the reduced hours of electricity supply. It remains committed to transmitting all available energy safely, reliably and efficiently within the prevailing operational constraints and to working with NISO, generation companies and DisCos to improve the situation,” TCN stated.
Recall that Ikeja Electric had apologised to its customers and blamed TCN for its inability to provide at least 20 hours of electricity supply to consumers in its coverage area in Lagos.
However, Nigerians criticised Ikeja Electric for restricting its apology to Band A customers, despite the power outage affecting other categories of consumers.
NISO had attributed the power outage in parts of the country to a shortage of gas supply to generation companies, resulting in reduced electricity generation and lower energy supplied to the national grid.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, had also apologised for the reduced electricity supply and pledged a quick restoration of power.