NLC Threatens Nationwide Shutdown Over Grid Collapse
ABUJA — The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared a state of emergency over the nation’s electricity sector, threatening a total industrial showdown following the recurring collapse of the national grid. Speaking at a conference in Abuja on Sunday, February 15, 2026, NLC President Joe Ajaero characterized the decade-long privatization of the defunct PHCN as a “failed experiment” that has only delivered energy poverty and exploitation. This “final warning” follows a worrying trend in early 2026, where the national grid has already suffered multiple system disturbances, plunging the federation into darkness three times in less than a month. Consequently, Labour has vowed to resist any further tariff hikes, describing the current “banding” system as the institutionalization of extortion against the poor.
The NLC’s indictment centers on the stagnation of power generation, which remains stubbornly fixed between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts—levels virtually identical to the pre-2013 era. Ajaero alleged that the privatization exercise was a “grand deception” designed to transfer public wealth to speculators who lacked both technical expertise and financial depth. Instead of bringing in foreign direct investment, these operators reportedly borrowed heavily from local banks, contributing to the depreciation of the Naira. Furthermore, the NLC maintains that the much-vaunted “investors” have largely failed to upgrade infrastructure, leaving the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Distribution Companies (DisCos) in a perpetual state of friction and load rejection.
Likewise, the Federal Government’s proposed ₦3.6 trillion deduction from the Federation Account to fund electricity subsidies between 2026 and 2028 has drawn fierce opposition. Ajaero dismissed the “phantom subsidy” claim as a ruse to “settle the boys” ahead of the 2027 general elections. Significantly, the NLC argues that no nation has successfully managed its electricity sector purely as a profit-driven enterprise without inflicting severe hardship on its citizens. While it is true that the 2023 Electricity Act now empowers states to generate power, Labour warns that decentralization alone is not a “magic wand” for the structural rot within the national grid.
In a related development, the NLC is demanding an immediate National Stakeholders’ Summit to draft a “People’s Power Roadmap.” This proposed framework prioritizes public investment in generation and transmission while advocating for a return to electricity as a social service rather than a luxury commodity. Notably, the Sultan of Sokoto and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs have echoed these concerns, linking the power crisis to the broader economic instability and rising poverty levels. Above all, the NLC insists that if power is not available, it cannot be affordable.
Ultimately, the escalating tension between Organized Labour and the government signals a looming collision over the cost of living. For the everyday Nigerian, the recurring grid failures represent a daily tax on productivity and a psychological burden that no amount of official rhetoric can soothe. Therefore, the NLC stands ready to mobilize the masses to resist what they term “the auctioning of a right to the highest bidder.” As a result, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of reckoning for a power sector that has, for too long, promised light but delivered only shadows.