The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to carry out a comprehensive audit of power sector infrastructure and review the privatisation model.
Reacting to the latest collapse of the national grid, which plunged most parts of the country into darkness, the labour union also called on the government to stop allocating public funds to support privatised electricity companies.
In a statement on Wednesday, Comrade Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the government must redirect the trillions spent on the sector towards public-led investments in generation and transmission infrastructure.
His words: “Since the government has N4 trillion to invest in the sector, we suggest that the funds must be redirected towards a public-led initiative to build new generation capacity and revitalise the transmission infrastructure instead of handing it over to the generation companies (Gencos) and distribution companies (Discos).
“This is not a plea; it is a declaration of intent. The light must come on, by any means necessary. Once again, we call for a comprehensive public audit of the entire power sector.
“We call for a fundamental review of the privatisation model itself, with a view to reviving this critical sector. This has become an imperative.”
The NLC said Nigerians will no longer tolerate “man-made” blackouts or accept excuses for what it described as a “deliberate failure” by the government.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) confirmed the grid collapsed at 11:20 am after a generation company tripped, triggering a cascade across other facilities.
The grid collapse initially left only 20MW available to Ibadan Disco. But by 8:21 pm, 1,583MW had been restored, with Abuja Disco receiving 243MW, Ikeja 239MW, and Eko 204MW.
NISO said it began restoration at 11:45 am with supply from Shiroro power plant, adding that a full investigation into the incident is underway.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Ikeja Electric, and Kano Disco had earlier informed customers of widespread outages across their networks.
Kano Disco appealed to customers to be patient as restoration progresses and urged them to protect power installations against vandals during the blackout.