Nigeria may soon be plunged into darkness as electricity workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have commenced an indefinite strike, withdrawing their services from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The move followed the expiration of an ultimatum issued to TCN management over unresolved staff welfare and operational issues. In a notice signed by the acting general secretary, Dominic Igwebike, the union directed members to ensure “total compliance” with the directive, effective immediately.
Why the Strike?
The NUEE listed a series of grievances fueling the action, including the non-implementation of the national minimum wage, casualisation of workers, non-payment of staff salaries since April 2025, and lack of working tools and operational vehicles.
Other demands include the non-provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) since 2021, unpaid retirement benefits, and issues arising from the unbundling of TCN.
“It is unfortunate that the TCN management has decided to handle these issues with kid gloves and with no defined roadmap. We cannot continue to fold our arms while our rights are violated and the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry goes down the drain,” the union declared.
What’s at Stake?
Electricity workers play a central role in sustaining the national grid. A prolonged strike could destabilize the country’s fragile power sector and leave millions of households and businesses in darkness.
As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, however, checks showed that the national grid was still operating normally. Total load allocation stood at 4,411MW, with Engineer Power (601MW), Kainji Hydro (473MW), and Shiroro Hydro (398MW) leading contributions to generation.
The Bigger Picture
In April, the federal government unbundled TCN into two new entities: the Independent System Operator (ISO) and the Transmission Service Provider (TSP). While the ISO oversees market operations, the TSP is responsible for maintaining physical transmission infrastructure like towers, lines, and substations.
The restructuring, aimed at improving efficiency, has instead triggered new grievances among staff who fear poor implementation and neglect of welfare.
Official Silence
Repeated efforts to reach the TCN General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages were not responded to at press time.
With the strike gaining momentum, Nigerians now anxiously await whether government and union leaders can find common ground before the lights go out.
