The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded the resignation of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, following the recurring collapse of the national power grid.
In a statement released late Tuesday night, NLC President Joe Ajaero expressed serious concern over the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s electricity sector, warning that it is on the verge of a total collapse.
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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.
“We believe that 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.
“It has to be noted that the number of times the National Grid has collapsed under these helmsmen is more than all the previous leaders in the history of our nation combined. Rather than the garrulous remarks, Nigerians expect more seriousness in handling their affairs.”
Ajaero also criticized the minister for the proposed allocation of ₦8 billion in the 2025 budget for “sensitizing Nigerians on the need to pay electricity bills,” accusing the Ministry of Power of prioritizing unnecessary projects at the expense of critical infrastructure.
He said, ” The Power sector in Nigeria is at the brink of collapse as the helmsmen have repeatedly shown gross incompetence. It is a sector where the National Electricity Regulatory Commission despite the enormous power invested in it by the Electricity Act of 2023 has continuously demonstrated incapacity to regulate or outrightly refused to discharge its responsibilities to electricity consumers in Nigeria while the Minister in charge is enamoured with seeking about N8bn to teach Nigerians how to pay electricity bill.
“It is therefore not surprising that power grid collapse is now a constant as it has continued to succumb to greed and crass incompetence.”
The NLC president argued that the ₦8 billion allocation was a misplaced priority, particularly when contractors at the Transmission Company of Nigeria are owed over ₦200 billion.
He said, “Whereas the Minister seeks N8bn to educate us, contractors in the Transmission Company of Nigeria who help in delivering capacity are owed over N200 billion. If not for the intervention of the Unions in the sector in December 2024, the procurement Committee would have added to this burden by sitting down to award more contracts.”
The union also condemned the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for failing to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities.
NLC President Joe Ajaero claimed that the commission has shown both a lack of capacity and a reluctance to safeguard electricity consumers.
He pointed to a recent incident where NERC was allegedly complicit with the board of a distribution company in dismissing its managing director for exposing unethical practices.
“It is unimaginable that NERC, an organization tasked with ensuring transparency and efficiency, would punish a whistleblower instead of rewarding and protecting them.
“This is a clear indication that NERC is not prepared to discharge its mandate.”
The NLC president emphasized that the union would continue to monitor developments in the electricity sector and warned against any attempts to use the budget process for wasteful expenditures.
He urged the federal government to take immediate action to revitalize the sector to prevent its total collapse, warning that failure to address these issues would further undermine public confidence in governance.
“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.”
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