The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, along with other top officials in the Ministry of Power, following repeated failures of the national power grid. This development comes amidst rising concerns over the state of Nigeria’s power sector.
In a statement issued late Tuesday night, NLC President Joe Ajaero described the power sector as being on the verge of “total collapse.” He criticized the Ministry for its inability to address the frequent grid failures that have plagued the nation, leaving millions of Nigerians without electricity.
Ajaero said, If the Ministry of Power is manned by competent officials, the now embarrassing constant grid collapse would have been averted instead of the worrying statement by the Minister that this will continue as if this has always been the norm. We believe that this is a clear admission of incapacity and failure by the Ministry, and we wonder why they would not do the honourable thing by resigning.”
The NLC President further highlighted the unprecedented frequency of grid collapses under the current administration, stating that the number of failures surpasses those recorded by all previous administrations combined. He accused the Ministry of lacking seriousness in addressing the crisis, citing what he referred to as “garrulous remarks” by the Minister instead of tangible solutions.
The latest grid collapse, which occurred earlier this week, has deepened public frustration with the power sector, sparking protests and increasing calls for accountability.
Public Reactions: Citizens and stakeholders have taken to social media to express outrage over the poor state of electricity supply. Many are calling for a restructuring of the power sector.
Impact on Economy: Analysts warn that the frequent grid failures are detrimental to businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, which rely heavily on consistent power supply.
Government Response: So far, the Ministry of Power has not issued a direct response to the NLC’s demands. However, Minister Adebayo Adelabu previously stated that the grid collapses are part of a broader systemic challenge in the power sector.
Background:
Nigeria’s national power grid has suffered multiple collapses over the past year, causing widespread blackouts across the country. These outages have disrupted daily life, hindered business operations, and raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the nation’s power infrastructure.
The NLC’s call for the resignation of top officials marks the latest in a series of efforts by civil society groups to hold the government accountable for its handling of critical sectors. Whether the Ministry of Power will heed these calls remains to be seen.
