Nationwide blackout looms as electricity workers strike over welfare and unpaid salaries
Union withdraws services over unpaid salaries, poor welfare, and stalled reforms, raising fears of a nationwide blackout within hours.
Nigeria may be plunged into darkness once again as the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) declared an indefinite strike on Wednesday, pulling its members off duty across the country. The action, which takes immediate effect, threatens to shut down the already fragile national grid within hours.
In a circular signed by Acting General Secretary Dominic Igwebike, the union accused the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) of ignoring long-standing grievances around staff welfare, unpaid entitlements, and poor working conditions. “The TCN management has decided to handle these issues with kid gloves and with a lack of regard for the hardworking staff,” the notice read.
The union’s demands include the implementation of the national minimum wage, an end to casualisation of workers, payment of salaries reportedly owed since April 2025, and provision of operational tools and vehicles. It also faulted the delay in providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), last supplied in 2021, as well as unresolved matters arising from the unbundling of TCN.
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NUEE insists it was left with no choice after the expiration of an earlier ultimatum. “We cannot continue to fold our arms while our rights are violated and the power sector sinks further. To this end, the Union is compelled to withdraw its services,” it said, directing members nationwide to ensure total compliance.
This is not the first time electricity workers have pulled the plug. In June 2024, a similar strike paralysed supply across many states and forced emergency negotiations with the Federal Government. Today’s action, however, comes at a time when Nigerians are already grappling with erratic supply, rising tariffs, and repeated government promises to overhaul the power sector.
Efforts to reach TCN’s spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. The blackout warning now raises urgent concerns about how quickly the government can intervene before the grid collapses.
