Blackout: Electricity Workers Beaten As NLC Shuts down National Grid

Oluwatobi OdeyinkaJune 3, 20241 Mins read102

In a bid to increase its domestic power supply, the Nigerian government has enacted measures aimed at curbing cross-border electricity sales to neighboring nations, particularly the Niger Republic and Togo.

An Electricity Grid

Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress have reportedly shut down the electricity grid after sacking officials of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) from control rooms and transmission sites.

The TCN disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, on Monday morning.

Mbah noted that the national grid was shut down around 2:19 am on Monday, June 3.

He alleged that electricity workers were driven away from their duty posts while others were beaten and wounded at some power facilities by representatives of the NLC.

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria now 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 Independent System Operations unit of 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, the statement reads in part.

Mbah listed transmission substations that were shut down to include the Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba and Osogbo Transmission Substations.

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, he added.

He further noted that efforts have commenced towards grid recovery, but the efforts were being frustrated by the unionists.

The shutdown poses a threat to small business owners who depend on public electricity, as well as hospitals.