The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has advised the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to step down if he is unable to stop the persistent collapse of the national electricity grid.
The NLC also criticised the proposal by the Ministry of Power to set aside a whopping N8 billion in the 2025 proposed budget to sensitise the Nigerian public on how to pay their electricity bills, describing it as frivolous and questionable.
In a statement signed by the president of NLC, Joe Ajaero, the NLC stated that the country’s power sector was on the brink of collapse as a result of incompetence by those at the helm of affairs.
Ajaero said, “The power sector in Nigeria is at the brink of collapse as the helmsmen have repeatedly shown gross incompetence.
”It is a sector where the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), despite the enormous power invested in it by the Electricity Act of 2023, has continuously demonstrated incapacity to regulate or outrightly refused to discharge its responsibilities to electricity consumers in Nigeria while the minister in charge is enamoured with seeking about N8 billion to teach Nigerians how to pay electricity bills.
“It is therefore not surprising that power grid collapse is now a constant, as it has continued to succumb to greed and crass incompetence.
“If the Ministry of Power is manned by competent officials, the now embarrassing constant grid collapse would have been averted instead of the worrying statement by the minister that this will continue as if this has always been the norm.
“We believe that this is a clear admission of incapacity and failure by the ministry, and we wonder why they would not do the honourable thing by resigning.”
NLC mentions that whereas the minister was seeking N8 billion to educate Nigerians, contractors in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) who help in delivering capacity are owed over N200 billion.
The NLC said at a time when millions of Nigerians were grappling with crushing poverty, runaway inflation, and the unbearable weight of a failing economy, “It is both insulting and tragic that our leaders find it appropriate to squander public funds on such frivolities.”
The NLC also expressed displeasure over the statement credited to the Minister of Power during his recent budget defence in the National Assembly, where he allegedly defended the proposal to spend N8 billion on sensitisation on how to pay electricity bills to private sector entities.
It mentioned proposing to allocate a whopping N8 billion to “sensitise” Nigerians who are already burdened with exorbitant electricity tariffs, which reeks of arrogance, insensitivity, and an utter disregard for accountability.
“This ludicrous proposal epitomises the depth of profligacy, wastefulness, and corruption that has permeated governance in Nigeria.
“The minister should tell Nigerians how much dividend the federal government has received from the privatised entities since the last 12 years of privatisation in lieu of its 40 percent ownership of the privatised entities.
“If not for the intervention of the unions in the sector, in December 2024, the procurement committee would have added to this burden by sitting down to award more contracts.
“We are truly surprised at where the priorities of the leadership of the sector lie. It has to be noted that the number of times the national grid has collapsed under these helmsmen is more than all the previous leaders in the history of our nation combined.
“Rather than the garrulous remarks, Nigerians expect more seriousness in handling their affairs.
“It is unimaginable that NERC colluded with deafening silence with the Board of one of the Discos to sack its Managing Director for exposing the unethical practices in the Disco.
“Whistleblowing as far as NERC is concerned has become an offence. So, instead of an organisation that is supposed to reward and protect a whistleblower, it rather connived to punish and sack the official.”
