STRIKE: Partial compliance in Lagos, blackout in Abuja, Kaduna 

CITIZENS COMPASS —THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, kicked off its Two days warning strike with partial compliance among workers in Lagos State. 

Lagos State civil servants were present in their various offices especially at the Lagos state Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

However, the entrance leading to the secretariat as well as the state House of Assembly, were manned by men of the state Rapid Response Squad (RRS), incase of any interruption. 

Some of the workers who spoke with our correspondent said the state government had issued directives that they should all report for work. 

They claimed they were not members of NLC but Trade Union Congress (TUC). 

““We are not part of the NLC but TUC which is not part of the warning strike,” said one of the workers, Abduahi Ahmed. 

The Guarantee Trust Bank, GTB, located within Alausa Secretariat was opened to customers as they were seen attending to members of the public.

Efforts to get reactions from the Union were unsuccessful at press time.

Meanwhile, the reverse wa the case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja as workers reportedly stayed out of work. 

The area reportedly experience power outage as electricity workers observed the first day of the strike action. 

With supply short, electricity distribution companies, DisCos, issued notices to consumers alerting them to the situation.

Recall that NLC leaders on Monday, shunned a supposedly peace meeting with the Federal Government of Nigeria which was attended by Trade Union Congress (TUC). 

In its notice to customers, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, blamed the general power outage across its franchise area on the strike.

The notice read: “We are aware of the general power outage being experienced across our franchise due to enforcement by NLC of the 2-day warning strike embarked upon by the labour union.

“We apologise for any inconvenience you may be experiencing as a result of this, as we continue our engagement with key stakeholders towards minimizing the impact of the strike on our customers.

“In the meantime, we recommend that you take necessary precautions to manage the outage effectively. Kindly unplug sensitive electronic devices and appliances from power sources pending the restoration of power.

“We will continue to provide updates on developments regarding the impact of the strike action on our operations through our official social media handles”, the utility added.

On its part, the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electric, in a statement by its Head Corporate Communications, Abdulazeez Abdullahi explained that the action by its workers had shut down its feeders.

The statement read: “We regret to announce that the outage being experienced currently in our franchise states is due to the warning strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Labour Congress and its affiliate unions.

“We will continue to provide updates on developments regarding the impact of the strike action on our operations through our official social media handles”, the utility added.

Similarly, the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electric, in a statement by its Head Corporate Communications, Abdulazeez Abdullahi explained that the action by its workers had shut down its feeders.

The statement reads: “We regret to announce that the outage being experienced currently in our franchise states is due to the warning strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Labour Congress and its affiliate unions.

There was total compliance in Oyo State, as workers at the Federal Secretariat in Ibadan were absent from their offices. 

It was gathered that in the morning, the Federal Secretariat complex in Ibadan was under lock and key.

Labour activists also barricaded the gate of the secretariat to ensure compliance.

NLC had announced the strike action following petrol subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu.