THE Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has said the general power outrage experienced across its franchise is due to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strike.
This was contained in a statement released via its social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, September 5.
“We are aware of the general power outage being experienced across our franchise due to enforcement by NLC of the two-day warning strike embarked upon by the labour union. We apologise for any inconvenience you may be experiencing as a result of this as we continue our engagement with key stakeholders towards minimising the impact of the strike on our customers.
“In the meantime, we recommend that you take necessary precautions to manage the outage effectively. Kindly unplug sensitive electronic devices and appliances from power sources pending the restoration of power,” the statement read.
The AEDC supplies power to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa states.
Apart from these states, there are currently power outages in Osogbo, Kano and other states as workers disrupted services because of the strike.
New Telegraph newspaper reports that workers shut down the transmission station in Osogbo, Osun State in compliance with the strike.
Another report by the Punch states that workers in the state mobilised and shut down the head office of Kano Electricity Distribution Company, located on Post Office Road in the city.
The Labour union declared a two-day warning strike on Friday, September 1, over the federal government’s failure to alleviate the hardships caused by the removal of petrol subsidy in the country.
During a press briefing, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the strike would precede an indefinite action to begin later in September.
A month ago, NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other members of organised labour staged a nationwide protest against the subsidy removal.
The protest held on August 2 was suspended on the same day after a meeting with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, during which the protesters were assured that their demands would be met.
However, the TUC is not participating in the current strike. The union secured an assurance from the Federal Government on Tuesday, September 5, that the government would consider its members. demands within two weeks.
Banks, offices, courts, others shut down in compliance with strike
Banks, government offices, and courts are among the institutions that shut down in compliance with the strike on Tuesday.
The Federal Secretariat at the Central Business District, MDAs in Mabushi, and Radio House at the Garki Area 8, were some government agencies deserted by workers on Tuesday morning due to the strike.
Although some banks around the secretariat were closed, The ICIR observed that some banks in other parts of the city were open, including Polaris Bank at Life Camp.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.