25th September, 2023
The Federal Government at the weekend warned the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC against embarking on unauthorised access to the National Control Centre and shutting down the grid during its planned industrial action.
The Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu who gave the warning over the weekend said any such action will be treated as a crime and economic sabotage that will attract serious consequences.
The Minister said he has already written to the National Security Adviser (Nuhu Ridabu) to strengthen security around its facilities nationwide.
Adelabu noted that during the two-day warning strike early this month, some electricity workers attacked the control centre in Osogbo, the Osun State capital with the intention to plunge the country into a blackout.
He said such an attempt would be a negation of efforts to provide Nigerians with a steady power supply while noting that the NLC can embark on industrial action without shutting down or vandalising the grid.
Adelabu spoke during the inspection of the sub-regional office of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) control centre in Osogbo.
“No matter what the circumstances are, nothing must push us to deliberately destroy these assets (National Grid). I’m not against industrial actions, it is part of labour relations but when we are doing it, we must be conscious of what is our collective asset.
“Industrial actions will be resolved whether we like it or not but in the course of the action, we must not destroy what we have. We need to talk to ourselves.”
“It is regrettable that during the two-day warning strike, I learnt that the control centre was attacked. It is not the best for us as a country. These are things that baffle our international partners. We should see ourselves as defendants of our national assets.
“Once anything happens here, it touches every Nigerian and every household. If we touch the National Grid, the entire nation goes into a blackout. During industrial actions, let us be civil and protect what belongs to the entire country.
“Whatever our feelings are and whatever sympathy we have for anybody should not push us to destroy national assets.
“You can carry out industrial action without shutting down the grid, without vandalising the grid, the government will still listen to you.
“I am only pleading. You have your right to industrial action but don’t set the entire nation on total blackout. If you do, everybody will suffer, so that is like blackmailing the entire Nigeria,” Adelabu was quoted as saying in a report by The Nation.