Nationwide Blackout Looms As Electricity Workers Down Tools
By NINI NDUONOFIT-AKOH
THE National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) on Wednesday launched a nationwide strike over unresolved labour disputes with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), raising fears of a major blackout.
In a directive signed by Acting General Secretary Dominic Igwebike, the union accused TCN of neglecting critical welfare and operational issues, including non-payment of salaries since April 2025, failure to implement the minimum wage, casualisation of workers, lack of protective equipment since 2021, and delayed retirement benefits.
NUEE members have been ordered to withdraw their services until management meets the demands, a move that could paralyse power transmission nationwide. Already, the TCN control centre in Osogbo was locked on Thursday, forcing workers to return home.
The strike adds to Nigeria’s persistent electricity woes, with industry watchers warning it could trigger grid collapses and worsen supply shortages unless urgent intervention is made.
