Experts in the power sector have called on the Federal Government to prosecute the National Union of Electricity Employees for shutting down the national grid for two days between August 16-17 2022.
The PUNCH reports that businesses and other power consumers were thrown into darkness on Wednesday as the industrial action embarked upon by electricity workers, which lasted for almost one day, led to the total shutdown of the national power grid.
Power generation crashed fell below 4,000 megawatts as NUEE workers went on strike to protest against a compulsory promotion interview for principal managers, unpaid entitlement, among other issues.
But experts on Friday faulted the decision of the electricity workers by shutting down the national grid to push for their demands at the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
According to them, the decision of the union to deliberately shut down the national grid and even make viral videos while doing it is not only reckless but also a threat to national security and livelihoods.
An expert on power infrastructure, Engr. Oluwole Kayode, in a statement, said no nation can allow such abuse of labour laws to happen without consequence, adding that the unions have chosen the wrong means of expressing their grievances.
“What happened between Tuesday and Wednesday is unacceptable. The electricity workers union must change its ways and stay clear of tempering with crucial national infrastructure like the national grid from being used to labour politics,” he said
Kayode also called on the federal government to prosecute all those found to have played a role in shutting down the national grid and make sure that they face justice through fair trial.
On his part, an electricity consultant, Malam Mustapha Kamal, noted that the National Assembly must rise to the occasion and change Nigeria’s labour law to ensure that incidents like shutting down the national grid must not be used as a means of labour bargain.
He explained that with the impact of electricity on healthcare, security and well-being, it must be exempted from any forms of strikes.
“The National Union of Electricity Employees has committed what can best be described as economic sabotage. What happened is dangerous and must not happen again.”
