Total Blackout In Southeast As Electricity Workers Begin Nationwide Strike

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Total Blackout In Southeast As Electricity Workers Begin Nationwide Strike

All feeders in the five Southeastern states have been cut as electricity workers began nationwide strike on Wednesday.

Emeka Ezeh, spokesperson of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) confirmed the total blackout across the southeast on Wednesday.

The strike was called by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) over welfare issues.

Ezeh’s said all feeders in the five southeastern states are out due to the situation.

He said: “‘The industrial strike action embarked upon by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) power stations, operations across the franchise area of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) have been disrupted”.

“As a result of this development all our feeders are out of supply and this has affected supply to our esteemed customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States”.

“Consultations are ongoing among critical stakeholders in the power sector to address this issue and possibly restore supply”, he said.

Eze urged customers and neighbourhood associations to be vigilant and protect the electrical installations within their environment against elements who might take advantage of the outage to vandalise and loot the installations.

Members of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) on Tuesday held a protest, accusing the government of failing to address staff welfare issues.

The workers converged at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) headquarters in Abuja where they announced that their members will withdraw their services on Wednesday. The strike is bound to worsen Nigeria’s electricity problems.

The NUEE in a notice signed by the General Secretary, Joe Ajaero, urged its members to comply with the directive and stop work from August 17.

The union issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN on May 18, threatening to down tools if its complaints were not resolved.