ABUJA, Nigeria – A crippling labor strike has thrown the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, of Abuja, along with Kaduna, Jos, and other cities across Nigeria into an unprecedented darkness, forcing the country’s electricity generation to plummet to a mere 2,000 megawatts as of last night.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, released a note attributing the widespread power outage to the labor strike.
Similarly, Kaduna DisCos confirmed the disruptive impact of the strike, while sources at Jos DisCo revealed that some of their feeders were forcibly disconnected by the labor union.
Ndidid Mbah, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, spokesperson, confirmed that while the grid remained intact, several feeders had been disconnected due to union action.
“We are aware of the general power outage being experienced across our franchise due to enforcement by NLC [Nigeria Labour Congress] of the 2-day warning strike,” said a statement from the AEDC.
The AEDC also took the opportunity to advise its customers to unplug sensitive electronic devices and appliances to minimize damage during the prolonged outage.
“We apologize for any inconvenience you may be experiencing as a result of this, as we continue our engagement with key stakeholders towards minimizing the impact of the strike on our customers,” the company said.
Abdulazeez Abdullahi, Head of Corporate Communication at Kaduna DisCos, regretted the situation, stating that the labor action necessitated the shutting down of all 33KV feeders across their network.
“We hope the impasse between the federal government and the NLC shall be resolved soonest so that power supply can be restored,” Abdullahi said.
The strike comes at a particularly delicate time for Nigeria, which is already grappling with numerous infrastructural challenges, not least of which was the recent vow by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to reclaim N34 billion in unpaid rents from land allottees.
The severity of the power outage underlines the broader issues of labor unrest, infrastructural deficits, and policy lapses that continue to plague the nation.
As families and businesses suffer in darkness, the strike has shone a light on the urgency for reconciliatory talks between the labor union and the federal government.
The power outage serves as a warning bell, sounding the alarm for swift governmental action to not only resolve the ongoing labor dispute but also address the underlying systemic issues that led to this crisis.
