Nigerian Electricity Workers Suspend Strike That Caused Blackouts

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have suspended their nationwide strike, which led to a total blackout in different parts of the country. Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige has said that the government has promised to resolve the issues raised by the union within two weeks. 

The union's strike left cities and towns across Nigeria in darkness after workers shut down power stations. The workers are complaining about welfare issues.

The national electricity grid collapsed for the sixth time in June 2022, causing a blackout in states across the country. The grid, managed by the government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), recorded the first collapse of the year on January 17, 2022. Since then, the power grid collapsed twice in March and twice again in April, as the fluctuation in electricity continued, due to gas constraints, water management challenges, and gas pipeline vandalism, among others.

As Nigerians contend with erratic power supply, the World Bank has said the country would need about U.S.$100 billion in the next 10 years to tackle the challenge, which has defied all efforts by governments since 1999.