The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that the Labour union’s actions have led to a shutdown of the national grid, resulting in a widespread blackout across the country.
According to a statement released by TCN, the national grid shutdown occurred at approximately 2:19 am on June 3, 2024.
This development comes as part of the ongoing nationwide strike initiated by organized labour over issues related to the national minimum wage and the recent increase in electricity tariffs.
The strike, which has already halted essential services such as fuel distribution, healthcare, and banking, now extends its impact to the nation’s power supply.
The TCN’s statement underscores the severity of the situation, with the blackout affecting homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure across Nigeria.
The shutdown of the national grid highlights the extensive reach of the labour union’s strike and the pressing need for resolution between the government and the labour unions.
The labour unions have demanded significant changes to the minimum wage, arguing that the current ₦30,000 is insufficient given the economic realities.
They have also called for a reversal of the recent hike in electricity tariffs, which they argue further burdens the average Nigerian worker.
Government efforts to negotiate and avert the strike, involving high-level meetings with key officials and labour leaders, have thus far been unsuccessful.
As the nation grapples with the blackout and the broader impacts of the strike, the urgency for a resolution becomes even more critical.
The TCN has not yet provided an estimate for when power might be restored, leaving many Nigerians in uncertainty as the strike continues to unfold.
The statement reads
‘’GRID SHUT DOWN: UNION DELIBERATELY SHUT DOWN THE NATIONAL GRID.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby informs the general public that the Labour Union has shut down the national grid, resulting in black out nationwide. The national grid shut down occurred at about 2.19 am this morning, 3rd June 2024.
At about 1:15 am this morning, the Benin Transmission Operator under the independent System Operations unit of TCN reported that all operators were driven away from the control room and that staff that resisted were beaten while some were wounded in the course of forcing them out of the control room and without any form of control or supervision, the Benin Area Control Center was brought to zero.
Other transmission substations that were shut down, by the Labour Union include the Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba and Osogbo Transmission Substations. Some transmission lines were equally opened due to the ongoing activities of the labour union.
On the power generating side, power generating units from different generating stations were forced to shut down some units of their generating plants, the Jebba Generating Station was forced to shut down one of its generating units while three others in the same substation subsequently shut down on very high frequency.
The sudden forced load cuts led to high frequency and system instability, which eventually shut down the national grid at 2:19 am.
At about 3.23 am, however, TCN commenced grid recovery, using the Shiroro Substation to attempt to feed the transmission lines supplying bulk electricity to the Katampe Transmission Substation.
The situation is such that the labour Union is still obstructing grid recovery nationwide.
We will continue to make effort to recover and stabilize the grid to enable the restoration of normal bulk transmission of electricity to distribution load centres nationwide.”
