NUEE Strike: Shutting down National Grid is sabotage — Experts

Experts in the electricity industry have been knocking the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) for shutting down the National Grid for two days between August 16 and 17 to push for their demands at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)

What happened: The NUEE had in a notice signed by its General Secretary, Mr Joe Ajaero directed its members to stop work over issues of promotion interview and entitlements of former PHCN workers.

The union's action threw the country into a total blackout as many Nigerians criticised the move by the union.

Experts said the decision of the union to deliberately shut down the national grid and even make viral videos while doing it is not only reckless but also a threat to national security and livelihoods.

The experts’ views: According to Engr. Oluwole Samuel Kayode — an expert on power infrastructure, no nation can allow such abuse of labour laws to happen without, adding that the unions have chosen the wrong means of expressing their grievances.

“What happened between Tuesday and Wednesday is unacceptable. The electricity workers union must change its ways and stay clear of tempering with crucial national infrastructure like the national grid from being used to labour politics,” he said

Engr. Kayode also called on the federal government to prosecute all those found to have played a role in shutting down the national grid and make sure that they face justice through a fair trial.

On his part, Malam Mustapha Kamal an electricity consultant noted that the National Assembly must rise to the occasion and change Nigeria’s labour law to ensure that incidents like shutting down the national grid must not be used as a means of labour bargain.

He pointed out that because of the impact of electricity on healthcare, security and well-being, it must be exempted from any forms of strikes.

“The National Union of Electricity Employees has committed what can best be described as economic sabotage. What happened is dangerous and must not happen again,” he said.

Nigerians have also taken to social media to knock the electricity workers union for switching off the nation’s power system in pursuit of what some described as human resource issues that can be addressed without making all Nigerians pay for it, by plunging the nation into darkness.