The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to immediately conduct a comprehensive audit of the country’s power sector infrastructure following yet another nationwide grid collapse. In a strongly worded statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero urged the government to review the entire privatisation model of the sector, insisting that public resources should no longer be used to prop up privately owned Generation and Distribution Companies (Gencos and Discos).
The latest system failure, which occurred at 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, plunged much of the country into darkness. According to data from the newly created Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), only 20 megawatts were initially supplied to the Ibadan Distribution Company after the incident. Although restoration efforts began within 30 minutes, power generation fluctuated widely throughout the day, climbing from 495MW by mid-afternoon to 1,583MW by evening, with Abuja, Ikeja and Eko Discos receiving the largest allocations.
In its statement, NLC argued that with N4 trillion already earmarked for investment in the power sector, government funds should be redirected toward a public-led initiative to build new generation capacity and strengthen transmission infrastructure, rather than continuing to subsidise private operators. “This is not a plea; it is a declaration of intent. The light must come on, by any means necessary,” Ajaero warned, adding that Nigerian workers and consumers would no longer tolerate recurring blackouts.
NISO, for its part, confirmed that the disturbance was triggered by the tripping of a Genco facility, which cascaded across the grid. The operator said it began restoration at 11:45 a.m., starting with supply from the Shiroro power plant to Abuja. It also disclosed that a full investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the collapse was underway and promised remedial measures to prevent future occurrences.
Several distribution companies, including Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Kano Disco and Ikeja Electric, issued public notices on social media confirming the outage and appealing for patience. Kano Disco further urged customers to help protect power infrastructure from vandalism during the blackout period. As restoration efforts continue, pressure is mounting on the government to overhaul the sector and deliver reliable electricity to households and businesses nationwide.
source: this day