On Monday, Nigeria’s main labor unions shut down the national grid and disrupted flights across the country, initiating an indefinite strike. This action marks the fourth strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) since President Bola Tinubu took office last year. The unions took this step in response to the government’s failure to agree on a new minimum wage.
Power Grid Shutdown and Aviation Disruptions
Union members drove operators away from the country’s power control rooms and shut down at least six substations, which led to the national grid’s shutdown at 02:19 am (0119 GMT), according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Ibom Air announced the suspension of its flights until further notice due to the strike. United Nigeria also confirmed that airports across the country had been shut down, preventing any flights from operating.
In a statement on Monday, electricity and aviation unions directed their members to withdraw their services in compliance with the indefinite strike.
Oil Production Threatened
Oil unions threatened to halt oil production, but Nigeria’s oil regulator chief, Gbenga Komolafe, assured that contingencies were in place to ensure output was not disrupted by the strike.
Economic Reforms and Inflation
Since taking office, President Tinubu has implemented bold reforms, leading to a significant rise in inflation, which has reached an almost 30-year high. This has worsened the cost-of-living crisis in Africa’s most populous nation. The unions have pressured Tinubu to provide relief to households and small businesses after he scrapped petrol subsidies that kept fuel cheap but cost the government $10 billion annually.
Strike Declaration and Demands
The unions declared an indefinite strike on Friday after talks for a new minimum wage, intended to cushion the impact of reforms, collapsed. They stated that the strike would continue until a new minimum wage was established.
The TCN reported efforts to recover and stabilize the national grid, but unions have obstructed grid recovery nationwide. Additionally, the unions demanded a reversal of last month’s electricity tariff hike for better-off consumers, as the government aims to reduce the economy’s dependence on subsidies.
World Bank Loan for Electricity Sector
Last Thursday, Nigeria’s privatization body announced that the country had secured a $500 million loan from the World Bank for its electricity sector.
