The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for a thorough review of the country’s electricity sector, saying frequent national grid collapses and stagnant power production show that the sector’s privatisation has failed.
NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero made the call at the weekend during the National Union of Electricity Employees’ annual conference of women and youth in Abuja.
He described the past decade of power reform as a period of decline rather than progress. “Instead of progress, we witness regression. Instead of light, we have darkness,” Ajaero said, referring to chronic grid failures and persistent blackouts.
Ajaero criticised the privatisation of the power sector, arguing that it has left workers, households and industries in “deeper energy poverty.”
He noted that despite being privatised in 2013, electricity generation remains between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts — roughly the same level seen before privatisation.
“This is not the turnaround we were promised; this is a well-orchestrated robbery of the Nigerian people,” he said.
The labour centre also rejected proposed plans to spend as much as ₦2 trillion to ₦3 trillion as bailout for power companies, calling such spending unjustified given persistent grid instability.
Ajaero said the subsidies risk becoming a “phantom” payment that benefits private firms without improving electricity supply.
In addition to an immediate review, the NLC wants a national stakeholders’ summit involving workers, manufacturers, experts and government officials to draft a “People’s Power Roadmap” focused on stable and affordable electricity.
“Electricity is not a luxury for the rich; it is a social service essential for national development,” Ajaero said.
The NLC warned that ongoing grid failures and rising costs could lead to wider labour actions if reforms are not implemented.
