The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed a complete shutdown of the nation's power grid due to industrial action by labor unions, resulting in a nationwide blackout. This action marks the beginning of a strike initiated by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in protest against the Federal Government's N60,000 minimum wage proposal.
TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah announced the shutdown early Monday morning, stating that union members deliberately took the grid offline at approximately 2:19 am. Prior to this, at around 1:15 am, operators in Benin were forcibly removed from the control room, with some sustaining injuries during the altercation.
The shutdown affected multiple substations, including those in Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba, and Osogbo. The disruption extended to power generation facilities, with the Jebba Generating Station forced to shut down one of its units, and three additional units following suit due to system instability, which eventually led to the grid collapse.
Efforts to restore the grid commenced at 3:23 am, starting with attempts to use the Shiroro Substation to supply electricity to the Katampe Transmission Substation. However, union actions are still obstructing the recovery process.
TCN assures the public that they are working diligently to stabilize and restore the grid to normal operations, enabling the resumption of bulk electricity transmission to distribution centers across the country.
Further updates will follow as the situation develops.
