Ahead of the five-day warning strike directed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to commence from midnight of Sunday in Kaduna, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has knocked off all the 33KV lines in Kaduna State in compliance with the directive.

The total blackout occurred from midnight on Saturday following an earlier warning by the National Union of Electricity Employees that it had been directed by the NLC to join the warning strike.

Daily Trust reports that the NLC has commenced mobilising its affiliates to ensure a total economic shutdown of Kaduna State as part of efforts to force the government of Malam Nasir El-Rufai to rescind its policy of the sack of workers.

El-Rufai had on Saturday said his government would not bow to blackmail and insisted that it was not sustainable to spend 84 per cent to 96 per cent of its federal allocation on salaries and personnel costs.

The Kaduna State Government had stressed that it had been subjected to a campaign of lies, misrepresentation and false claims that its rightsizing exercise affected 4,000 workers and that it had stopped paying the minimum wage.

However, in a statement issued by the management of Kaduna Electric on Sunday, the company told its customers in Kaduna State that the service interruption as of Sunday was a result of the industrial action embarked upon by the NLC.

POWER FAILURE DUE TO NLC's INDUSTRIAL ACTION.

The Management of Kaduna Electric regrets to inform its customers in Kaduna State that the service interruption currently being experienced in the State is as a result of the industrial action embarked upon @NERCNG @GovKaduna by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

In compliance with the NLC directive, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN has knocked off all our 33KV lines in Kaduna State.

Consequently, we are appealing to all communities, security agencies and vigilante groups to be vigilant so that men of underworld will not cash in on the situation to vandalise power supply installations.

Any suspicious movement around distribution sub-stations (transformers) should be reported to the relevant security agency.

We have the collective responsibility to protect these critical national assets in our neighborhood.

We once again appeal to both parties in the dispute to strive at an amicable resolution for normalcy to return.

Signed:
Abdulazeez Abdullahi
Head, Corporate Communication.
16/05/2021.

Kaduna State workers, including members of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), have begun a warning strike from Saturday.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state had earlier announced its plan to embark on a strike to protest against mass disengagement of workers and other alleged anti-labour moves by the state government.

“In line with NLC directives on shut down of activities in Kaduna, you are hereby directed to ensure TOTAL BLACK OUT in Kaduna by 00 hours on Saturday 15th May, 2021,” the General Secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, said in a circular obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

He then advised the workers to liaise with other states or regions through which Kaduna could be back-fed to ensure that there is no supply of electricity to the state.

“Any Station or Officer whose unit is found wanting, the Chapter or State Council will be sanctioned for anti-union activities,” Mr Ajaero warned.

Also, aviation workers will on Sunday shut down flight operations at the Kaduna Airport in solidarity with the other unions.

The unions are National Union Of Air Transport Employees, Association Of Nigeria Aviation Professionals and National Association Of Aircraft Pilots And Engineers.

In a letter jointly signed by the leaders of the three bodies, dated May 14, the workers said the strike was in consonance with the declaration by the NLC.

Other unions, including railway workers, local government employees and university workers, will not resume to their duty posts on Monday.

The state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in April, announced the plan to disengage civil servants in the state, citing fiscal reasons.

He stated that a significant amount of the statutory federal allocations is being spent on the wages of public servants. According to him, the decision was one of the necessary moves to salvage the state’s finances.

“Therefore, the state government has no choice but to shed some weight and reduce the size of the public service. It is a painful but necessary step to take, for the sake of the majority of the people of this state,” the Monday statement partly read.

“The public service of the state with less than 100,000 employees and their families cannot be consuming more than 90% of government resources, with little left to positively impact the lives of the more than 9 million that are not political appointees or civil servants.”

“It is gross injustice for such a micro minority to consume the majority of the resources of the State,” he said.

IfGodbeforus:
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But when you where outside government, you were running your mouth anyhow on how government should be doing this or doing that. Mtchewwwwww

JubrinElSudan:
Kaduna is on lockdown

EL-Rufai had on Saturday said his government would not bow to blackmail and insisted that it was not sustainable to spend 84 per cent to 96 per cent of its federal allocation on salaries and personnel costs.