Public power supply has been cut in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and its adjourning States as workers of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) embarks on indefinite strike.
The electricity workers shut down electricity power to homes, offices and business premises early in the morning. To function, everyone has resorted to generators.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in confirming the strike on Monday in a statement by its General Manager (Public Affairs), Ndidi Mbah, on Monday, said TCN has available bulk power for delivery to the distribution load centres of AEDC to offtake for its customers.
“However, power evacuation from injection substations across AEDC franchise area has been disrupted following a shutdown of the AEDC facilities by its in-house workers’ union,” he said.
The areas under AEDC franchise include Abuja, Nasarawa, Kogi, parts of Edo, Niger and Kaduna States, the statement said.
TCN assured that normal bulk power delivery to AEDC will be restored as soon as the injection substations are opened for onward electricity supply to consumers.
Daily Trust learnt the AEDC union began the strike on Sunday to protest welfare issues among which is the non-remittance of pension deductions.
Providing further clarifications, the General Manager, Corporate Communications at AEDC, Oyebode Fadipe, said the strike by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) disrupted power supply to some areas of operation, especially those on the 11 kilovolts (kV) network.
“We would like to assure all our customers that all hands are on deck to resolve the issues that prompted this action,” AEDC noted.