The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, following repeated collapses of the national power grid.
In a statement issued on Tuesday night, NLC President Joe Ajaero criticized the Ministry of Power for its alleged incompetence and failure to address the worsening state of Nigeria’s electricity sector, describing it as being on the verge of total collapse.
Ajaero said:
“If the Ministry of Power is manned by competent officials, the now embarrassing constant grid collapse would have been averted instead of the worrying statement by the Minister that this will continue as if this has always been the norm.
“This is a clear admission of incapacity and failure by the Ministry, and we wonder why they would not do the honourable thing by resigning.”
The NLC president noted that the number of grid collapses under the current leadership surpasses those recorded in the nation’s history, adding that the minister’s proposal to allocate ₦8 billion in the 2025 budget for public sensitization on electricity bill payment reflects misplaced priorities.
Misplaced Priorities and Sector Challenges
Ajaero decried the allocation, emphasizing that contractors at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) are owed over ₦200 billion, which undermines critical infrastructure development.
“The Power sector in Nigeria is at the brink of collapse. The Minister seeks ₦8bn to educate us on paying electricity bills while contractors who help deliver capacity are owed over ₦200 billion,” Ajaero stated.
He also criticized the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for failing in its regulatory duties and allegedly punishing a whistleblower within a distribution company’s board.
“It is unimaginable that NERC, an organization tasked with ensuring transparency and efficiency, would punish a whistleblower instead of rewarding and protecting them. This demonstrates their unwillingness to protect electricity consumers,” Ajaero added.
Call for Urgent Action
The NLC warned against wasteful expenditures in the budget process and urged the federal government to take immediate steps to reinvigorate the electricity sector to avert a total collapse.
“We will not stand idly by while public funds are wasted in the name of governance. Our position is clear: incompetence must not be rewarded, and those responsible must be held accountable,” Ajaero concluded.
The union pledged to continue monitoring developments in the sector, advocating for transparency, accountability, and a renewed focus on critical infrastructure to restore public confidence.
