KANO, NIGERIA — Millions of households and businesses across Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states face an imminent total blackout as two major electricity unions officially declared an indefinite strike at the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) headquarters today.
The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) “down tools” following the expiration of a midnight deadline issued to management over three categories of unpaid arrears.
“A Total Breakdown in Negotiations”
The declaration followed a tense press briefing at the KEDCO head office.
Union leaders cited a total collapse in talks, alleging that management failed to credit workers’ accounts by the January 20th deadline.
As of Wednesday morning, the KEDCO gates have been locked, and technical staff have abandoned their stations.
This means that any faults on the grid occurring from this point forward may go unattended, potentially leading to a widespread collapse of power supply in the region.
Union Leaders Speak: “Ten Years Without Promotion”
The unions’ grievances go beyond recent pay.
Leaders allege years of systemic neglect and “selective” benefits.
Comrade Rilwan Shehu, the Deputy President General (North) of SSAEAC, lamented the recurring nature of the dispute.
“We are here to lockdown activities because they failed to comply with so many agreements. Since 2014, we have struggled with issues ranging from non-remittance of pensions to settlement of death benefits and poor working environments. Many things are being sidelined,” Shehu stated.
Adding to the frustration, Comrade Ado Gaya, Vice President (Northwest) of NUEE, accused the management of bias in recent staff upgrades.
“Just recently they did a promotional exercise. For the past ten or eleven years, you can find staff here without any promotion. But in their own personal interest, they are now doing selective promotion,” Gaya alleged.
Management Remains Silent
As of the time of filing this report, the management of KEDCO has not responded to inquiries regarding the official strike declaration or the unions’ allegations of selective promotion and pension defaults.
With technical staff away from their posts, residents in the three affected states are advised to prepare for potential power outages.
Daily News 24
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