Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna and parts of Edo states are facing power blackout following the industrial action embarked upon by electricity workers.
The areas are mainly under the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) Plc, where impact of account escrowing and leadership crisis allegedly impinge on workers’ welfare and optimal operations.
While the office was practically deserted in the early hour of Monday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said the bulk power for the distribution company (DisCo) could not be delivered, as energy evacuation from injection substations across AEDC franchise area had been disrupted.
The Deputy National President, Nigeria Labour Congress and Secretary General of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Joe Ajero, did not take his phone calls, but The Guardian gathered that the strike was necessitated by pension-related issues, liabilities and non-release of intervention fund by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) among others.
While workers were denied entry, it was learnt that the intervention of the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, would provide a temporary solution.
Privatised in 2013, the power sector, aside failing to perform, has been in financial crisis, requiring perpetual intervention funds from the Federal Government.