New: Nigeria in Darkness As Electricity Workers Go on Strike, Shut Transmission Stations
- Nigerian electricity workers have shut down power stations across the country as they embark on industrial action on Wednesday, August 17
- The leadership of the NUEE, on Tuesday, August 16, directed its members to go on strike over contravention of working conditions and default on entitlement
- Confirming the development, Ikeja Electric said it is experiencing power supply disruption as most stations under its network have been shut down
Electricity workers in Nigeria shut down the major power stations on Wednesday, August 17, due to the ongoing nationwide strike.
The national union of electricity employees (NUEE), on Tuesday, August 16, directed its workers to go on strike over the unlawful treatment of workers and default on the payment of entitlement by the transmission company of Nigeria (TCN), The Cable reported.
However, the TCN, in an appeal, urged the workers to suspend the proposed strike, adding that action would be taken to resolve the concerns.
The minister of state for power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, asked the union to give the government two weeks to sort out the issues raised and come up with an acceptable solution.
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The workers were seen in a viral video shut down the power station in Abuja while chanting solidarity songs.
The union were also shutting down the regional headquarters of the TCN in Kaduna, following the directive of its leadership.
In Lagos, Ikeja Electric announced an ongoing disruption of power supply as a result of the strike.
“Dear Esteemed Customer, Due to the ongoing nationwide picketing of Transmission Stations by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), we are currently experiencing disruption of power supply," the statement read in part.
Despite heavy investments, Nigeria now generates 3,900 megawatts of electricity
Legit.ng, in an earlier report, disclosed that the Ministry of Power has said that there is a marginal increase in power supply, which ramps it up to 3,904MW as of Tuesday, April 12 2022.
The Ministry said that due to the recent grid collapse caused by vandals, the current power generation stands at close to 4,000MW.
Statistics show that Nigerians use about 144 kWh per capita, while about 12,000 MW of electricity is needed for the size of Nigeria's population.
Source: Legit.ng
