*Ahead NLC planned strike
Kaduna State is reportedly in blackout mode following the de-energization of all 33KV power lines by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in compliance with the warning strike ordered by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The five-day warning strike commenced from midnight of Sunday.
But the total blackout occurred from midnight on Saturday following an earlier warning by the National Union of Electricity Employees that it had been directed by the NLC to join the warning strike.
NLC has commenced mobilising its affiliates to ensure a total economic shutdown of Kaduna State as part of efforts to force Governor Nasir el-Rufai to rescind its recent moves to sack workers.
el-Rufai had on Saturday said his government would not bow to blackmail, insisting that it is not sustainable to spend 84 per cent to 96 per cent of its Federal allocation on salaries and personnel cost.
The government lamented that it has been subjected to a campaign of lies, misrepresentation and false claims that its rightsizing exercise affected 4,000 workers and that it has stopped paying the minimum wage.
On its part, the management of Kaduna Electric notified its customers on Sunday that the power interruption was in compliance with the industrial action embarked upon by the NLC.
The Head of Corporate Communication of Kaduna Electric, Mr. Abdulazeez Abdullahi, appealed to all communities, security agencies and vigilante groups to be vigilant so that criminals do not cash in on the situation to vandalise power supply installations.
“Any suspicious movement around distribution sub-stations [transformers] should be reported to the relevant security agency.
“We have the collective responsibility to protect these critical national assets in our neighbourhood,” he stated.
Earlier, the management of the DisCo had appealed to both government and the NLC to reach an amicable solution that will avert the strike, saying as key stakeholders, Kaduna Electric is deeply concerned and hopes that the talks would yield positive outcomes.
“Our concern is hinged on the fact that, as a private corporate organisation, we are inadvertently caught in the middle of the impasse.
“The workers’ union, to which our staff belong, is affiliated to the NLC hence they may be obliged to join any strike called.
“We are on the other hand, a privately owned company that is not a party to the dispute. We offer a critical utility service the withdrawal of which will cause untold hardship on the citizenry,” the management stated on Saturday.