The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has cleared air on allegations that some electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) received zero megawatts (MW) of power allocation between March 20 and 22, 2026.

According to the operator, no DisCo was completely cut off from power supply at any point during the period which suggests total allocation outages in parts of the country.

It acknowledged that Nigeria's power grid experienced reduced generation levels within the timeframe.

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It blamed the shortfall to persistent gas supply constraints rather than any deliberate or systemic exclusion of specific DisCos from load allocation.

"Available generation was continuously dispatched and equitably allocated to all DisCos throughout the period," the agency said.

It emphasized that the grid remained operational despite the limitations in generation capacity.

In a note on Monday, the agency insists these fluctuations were the result of reduced overall generation rather than zero allocation to any particular distribution company.

It explained that load distribution is governed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission's Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) framework, adding that the system is designed to ensure fairness by allocating available electricity among DisCos based on predefined and transparent criteria.

It said, "By invoking the MYTO framework, NISO sought to reinforce its position that allocation decisions are neither arbitrary nor discriminatory. Instead, they are guided by regulatory principles aimed at balancing limited supply across all distribution networks."

"While some areas may have experienced near-total outages, such incidents should not be misconstrued as a complete absence of allocation at the DisCo level."