Nationwide Blackout: Labour Shuts Down Grid

National grid shutdown due to organized labor's strike results in a nationwide blackout.

A nationwide blackout occurred on Monday, June 3, after organized labor, comprising the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), shut down the national grid.

According to Ndidi Mbah, General Manager (Public Affairs) of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the shutdown was carried out by organized labour.

The strike was announced by Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Friday, May 31, at the Labour House in Abuja, in response to the Federal Government's refusal to increase the proposed minimum wage to N60,000.

The strike, which began on Monday, June 2, 2024, at midnight, resulted in a national blackout, as confirmed by Mbah's statement.

The text of the statement says: “The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby informs the general public that the Labour Union has shut down the national grid, resulting in a blackout nationwide. The national grid shutdown occurred at about 2.19 am this morning, 3rd June 2024.

“At about 1:15 am this morning, the Benin Transmission Operator under the TCN reported that all operators were driven away from the control room and that staff that resisted were beaten while some were wounded in the course of forcing them out of the control room and without any form of control or supervision, the Benin Area Control Center was brought to zero.

“Other transmission substations that were shut down, by the Labour Union include the Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba, and Osogbo Transmission Substations. Some transmission lines were equally opened due to the ongoing activities of the labour union.

“On the power generating side, power generating units from different generating stations were forced to shut down some units of their generating plants, the Jebba Generating Station was forced to shut down one of its generating units while three others in the same substation subsequently shut down on very high frequency. The sudden forced load cuts led to high frequency and system instability, which eventually shut down the national grid at 2:19 am.

“At about 3.23 am, however, TCN commenced grid recovery, using the Shiroro Substation to attempt to feed the transmission lines supplying bulk electricity to the Katampe Transmission Substation. The situation is such that the labour Union is still obstructing grid recovery nationwide.

“We will continue to make effort to recover and stabilize the grid to enable the restoration of normal bulk transmission of electricity to distribution load centres nationwide.”