Strike: Power Disruption As Workers Shutdown Osogbo Transmission Company

• Kazeem Badmus

Members of the National Union of Electricity Employees in Osun State on Tuesday joined the warning strike called by the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress to protest the negative impacts of the removal of fuel subsidy.

Also, at Osogbo head office of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, the entrance to the premises was locked and a staff of the company who spoke on condition of anonymity said the workers also joined the warning strike.

Some electricity workers at the Osogbo Region Transmission Company of Nigeria expressed concerns that there may be disruption in power supply due to the strike, lamenting that the removal of fuel subsidy and the government’s lack of concrete plans to cushion the effects of the removal and ameliorate the hardship it has put many Nigerians in.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, Vice President West, National Union of Electricity Employees, Comrade Sodiq Adewale, said members of his union being an affiliate of NLC complied with the directive to down tools.

He said, “We are part of the strike and we are critical stakeholders as far as NLC is concerned.

“Presently, in compliance with the NLC directive, we are mandated to embark on a warning strike which started today and will continue tomorrow. As you can see, the whole place is under lock. Nobody is coming in and as time goes on, we are going to be reviewing our activities at the level of our actions.

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“So far from our end, we have total compliance. Nobody is saying there is going to be a disruption of power, but our men are out. We are not tampering with anything.

“Generally, look at the economy. We are talking about palliatives, it has to be fast. How long will it take the process to be implemented? They have to fast-track whatever processes they are working on to alleviate the suffering of the masses.”