Nigeria risks widespread power outages as the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) launched a strike on Wednesday, citing unmet demands from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The union’s grievances include unpaid national minimum wages, the casualisation of workers, lack of tools and safety equipment, and outstanding salaries since April 2025. Additionally, NUEE criticized TCN for not providing personal protective equipment (PPE) since 2021, neglecting issues from its unbundling, and failing to pay retirement benefits.
“The TCN Management has handled these issues with a lack of seriousness, showing disregard for its hardworking staff,” NUEE stated, highlighting the absence of a clear plan to address their concerns. “We cannot stand by while our rights are violated and the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) deteriorates. The Union is compelled to withdraw its services until Management meets its obligations.”
The strike directive, effective immediately, calls for full compliance from members. TCN, responsible for managing Nigeria’s national grid, including high-voltage transmission towers and substations, had not issued a response through its spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, at the time of this report.
As of 5:00 pm Thursday, the national grid remained operational, with a total load allocation of 4,411MW to distribution companies. Egbin Power (601MW), Kainji Hydro (473MW), and Shiroro Hydro (398MW) were the top contributors to power generation.
