Electricity workers in the transmission subsector of the power industry, under the umbrella of the National Union Of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have made good their threat to shut down transmission stations across the country
The workers at about 10 am this morning began to shut down the transmission stations thereby plunging the nation into partial black. The action could be total be the end of the day
The action commenced through a systematic shutting of the stations. As of 11.46 am this morning it is believed that about 60 percent of the stations have been shut down.
The action according to an insider source close to the transmission operations is just to put pressure on the government to accede to their demands. The source said even though some stations are still in operation, the intention was not to shut down everything at the same time.
Phase one of the threat by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE )was executed on Tuesday with the picketing of the headquarters of the Transmission Company Of Nigeria (TCN) to press home their demands for the implementation of yet-to-be-honoured agreements between it and the management of the company.
They complained about the alleged failure of the Federal Government to pay the entitlement of former staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in December 2019.
The aggrieved workers under the aegis of the national union of electricity employees NUEE said this is a prelude to an indefinite strike action expected to commence on August 17.
In a circular entitled “call to action”, the general secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, directed them to ensure total compliance, vowing to paralyse operations of TCN nationwide over anti-masses activities.
The union has promised to escalate its action today by shutting done all the transmission stations in the country, thereby plunging the nation into total darkness. This means the nation’s electricity supply crisis could worsen from today following this impasse.
There is no doubt that this has implications for both the social and economic activities of the country. Doing so would further endanger the already badly managed and extremely fragile economy that is gasping for breath. It will result in losing a colossus amount of revenue by everybody in the country, aggravate insecurity and increase hunger.
To avert this, the Federal Government through the minister of state for Power Goddy Jedy-Agba made a passionate appeal to the union and demanded they suspend the strike action as he promised he would get back to the union in two weeks
.A letter signed by the Minister of State for Power and addressed to the General Secretary of NUEE said, “The Ministry of Power takes cognisance of your complaints therein and is committed to offering solutions that will be acceptable to all parties concerned.
“May we appeal to your great Union to allow us two weeks from the date of this letter to address the issues and come up with proposals towards acceptable resolution of all issues”
Efforts to reach the general Secretary of the union yesterday evening to confirm if the union would heed the appeal of the minister were not successful as his phone was switched off.
The implications as earlier said would be too grievous for the nation should this be allowed to happen.
It is rather unfortunate that the government would allow workers to result in threaten the national economy before it attends to them on issues that are not new to both parties.
Not honouring the agreement entered into by the government is what has resulted in the current unnecessary strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU ) which is now about six months old.
Olusola Bello