The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened a nationwide industrial showdown over the persistent collapse of Nigeria’s electricity grid, alleging that the Federal Government’s proposed plan to pay between N2 trillion and N3 trillion to power generation companies (GENCOs) as subsidies is a clandestine move to “settle the boys” as the 2027 general elections approach.
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President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, made the allegations while speaking at the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) Annual Conference of Women and Youth in Abuja, declaring that a decade of power sector privatisation has delivered “darkness, exploitation and economic pain” to citizens.
Ajaero issued what he described as a “final warning” to authorities and power sector operators, insisting that organised labour would resist any further tariff increases or policies that deepen hardship without improving supply.
“We once again sound the alarm on the deplorable state of the nation’s electricity sector. We declare that the failed privatisation experiment has plunged Nigerian workers, women, youth, and industries into deeper energy poverty as the national grid continues to collapse while DISCOs persistently reject loads from the Transmission Company, TCN,” he stated.
The labour leader lamented that over 10 years after the unbundling and sale of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), electricity generation remains stagnant at between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts — virtually the same level recorded before privatisation, despite Nigeria’s growing population and industrial demands.
“Instead of progress, we witness regression. Instead of light, we have darkness. The national grid collapses with the frequency of a faulty generator, sometimes plunging the entire nation into blackout. This is not the ‘turnaround’ we were promised; this is a well-orchestrated robbery of the Nigerian people,” Ajaero said.
The NLC President described the power sector privatisation as a fraudulent transfer of public wealth.
“NLC once again maintains that the power sector privatisation was a grand deception. The exercise was a fraudulent transfer of public wealth into the hands of a few speculators who lack both the technical expertise and the financial backbone to manage the nation’s electricity assets.
“The so-called investors did not buy these companies with their own money. No foreign exchange was brought in, though the companies were touted to have come from outside our shores. They borrowed heavily from Nigerian banks, draining domestic credit and contributing to the depreciation of our naira. They acquired the DISCOs and GENCOs on a shoestring budget and now expect Nigerian workers to pay for their loans through outrageous electricity tariffs,” he stated.
Ajaero questioned the rationale behind the proposed bailout to GENCOs.
“The electricity subsidy claim remains a phantom, as does the plan to use three trillion naira to bail out operators. This is another ruse and goes nowhere. We question the rationale behind the Federal Government’s alleged plan to pay about three trillion naira to the GENCOs. We describe it as a clandestine move to ‘settle the boys’ as the 2027 elections approach.
“We insist that there is no justification for such a massive bailout to private firms that have failed to deliver. If this government is serious about the welfare of Nigerians, it must stop using our commonwealth to enrich a cartel of failed investors. Every kobo of the treasury belongs to the workers and people of Nigeria.”
Ajaero condemned the band classification system (A, B, C) as a capitalist tool designed to further impoverish the masses.
“Banding remains the institutionalisation of extortion of Nigerians by the rich. Band A consumers pay through their noses but still receive epileptic power supply. This government is asking Nigerians to pay for darkness. We reject this segregation. Electricity is a right, not a commodity to be auctioned to the highest bidder while the poor are left in the dark,” he stated.
The NLC reiterated its call for a reversal of the privatisation model, arguing that the power sector should be treated as a social service rather than a profit-driven enterprise.
“We insist that the State must return the power sector to a social service if we wish to make progress as a nation. Global examples show that no nation has successfully run its electricity sector purely as a profit-driven enterprise without inflicting hardship on its citizens. We call for the immediate return of the State as the primary driver of the power sector.
“Electricity is not a luxury for the rich; it is a social service essential for national development. It is only the State that can bear the huge capital investment required and the long gestation period for returns. The private sector has failed. It is time to take back the power for the people.”
The NLC called for a People’s Power Roadmap, warning that decentralisation alone under the new Electricity Act is not a magic wand.
“The NLC, therefore, demands a National Stakeholders’ Summit; not another talk shop, but a genuine convergence of workers, labour unions, manufacturers, and genuine experts; to draft a Power Sector Roadmap that prioritises affordable and stable electricity for all; a reversal of the failed privatisation model; service-reflective tariffs, not cost-reflective extortion; and public investment in generation and transmission infrastructure.
“The Nigerian people cannot continue to pay for darkness. The NLC stands ready to work with the masses and our networks to resist any further exploitation in the name of electricity reform. When power is not available, it cannot be affordable. Power must be returned to the people,” Ajaero concluded.
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