“We Will Not Tolerate Darkness” – NLC Blames FG Over Grid Collapse

“We Will Not Tolerate Darkness” – NLC Blames FG Over Grid Collapse
The union rejected a proposed N4 trillion bailout for operators.
It demanded reforms, audits, and public-led investment to revive electricity.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Federal Government of deliberately crippling the power sector while forcing Nigerians to pay exorbitant tariffs for poor electricity supply.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the labour union made the allegation following Wednesday’s nationwide blackout caused by the total collapse of the national grid.

In a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC said the collapse was not accidental but the outcome of failed leadership, compromised governance and deliberate mismanagement. It described the sector as being run by a cabal of unqualified political cronies and profiteers who treat vital infrastructure as an avenue for looting rather than national development.

The NLC dismissed the crisis as a technical problem, stressing that it was rooted in poor governance and wrong appointments. It criticised the choice of a former local government chairman to head the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), describing it as a political reward rather than a competence-based decision. According to the union, the regulatory body has become a rubber stamp for the interests of electricity distribution and generation companies.

The labour union also rejected reports of a proposed N4 trillion bailout for operators in the power sector, calling it an economic betrayal of Nigerians. It argued that the money should instead be invested in building new power generation capacity, revitalising transmission infrastructure and restructuring the sector into a public-led model designed to serve the people.

NLC warned that the continued collapse of the national grid is a direct attack on productivity, small businesses, industrial growth and households struggling under high tariffs. It demanded a public audit of the entire sector since privatization and a review of the model itself.

“The working class and suffering masses will no longer tolerate this darkness,” the statement declared. “The light must come on, by any means necessary.”