The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the resignation of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, citing repeated collapses of the national power grid. In a statement issued by NLC President Joe Ajaero on Tuesday, the union expressed concern over the worsening state of the electricity sector, describing it as being on the verge of total collapse.
Ajaero criticized the Minister of Power for failing to address the persistent grid failures, arguing that competent leadership could have averted the frequent outages. He labeled recent remarks by the minister suggesting that grid collapses are normal as evidence of incompetence. “This is a clear admission of incapacity and failure by the Ministry,” Ajaero said.
The NLC president also condemned the allocation of ₦8 billion in the proposed 2025 budget for a public sensitization campaign on paying electricity bills, calling it a misplaced priority. He noted that contractors working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria are owed over ₦200 billion, funds that could have been used to improve infrastructure and prevent further grid failures.
The union further criticized the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for neglecting its regulatory duties. Ajaero accused the commission of siding with corporate interests instead of protecting electricity consumers, citing an incident where NERC allegedly colluded with a power distribution company to sack a whistleblower.
The NLC warned against wasteful spending in the power sector and urged the federal government to take immediate steps to revitalize the electricity infrastructure. Ajaero stressed that inaction would lead to further public distrust in governance, adding, “We will not stand by while public funds are misused. Incompetence must not be rewarded, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
The union vowed to continue monitoring developments in the power sector and emphasized the need for urgent reforms to prevent a total collapse of the electricity grid.