The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the resignation of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, accusing him of gross incompetence in managing the nation’s electricity sector.
In a statement on Tuesday, NLC President Joe Ajaero criticized the persistent collapse of the national power grid under Adelabu’s leadership, which has deepened Nigeria’s electricity crisis and left much of the country in darkness.
Ajaero noted that the national grid collapsed 11 times in 2024 and has already failed twice in 2025. He attributed the failures to incompetence within the Ministry of Power and the inability of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to fulfill its regulatory duties under the Electricity Act of 2023.
“The power sector in Nigeria is at the brink of collapse as the helmsmen have repeatedly shown gross incompetence,” Ajaero stated. “It is therefore not surprising that power grid collapse is now a constant occurrence, driven by greed and crass ineptitude.”
The NLC also took issue with Adelabu’s proposal to allocate ₦8 billion for a campaign to educate Nigerians on paying electricity bills, describing it as wasteful and corrupt.
The union demanded transparency regarding the revenues generated from the privatization of the power sector over the past 12 years. It questioned how much the federal government has received as dividends from its 40% stake in the privatized electricity entities.
“If the Ministry of Power was manned by competent officials, the now embarrassing constant grid collapse would have been averted,” the NLC said. “We wonder why they [the Minister and other officials] would not do the honorable thing by resigning.”
The NLC further commended unions in the power sector for their commitment, noting their intervention in December 2024 to prevent additional financial burdens from unnecessary contract awards.
The statement also accused NERC of enabling corruption and silencing whistleblowers. According to the NLC, NERC colluded with a Distribution Company (DisCo) to sack its Managing Director for exposing unethical practices within the company.
“Instead of rewarding and protecting whistleblowers, NERC has become complicit in punishing those who expose corruption,” the statement alleged.
The NLC called for immediate reforms in the power sector, emphasizing the need for competent leadership to address the ongoing crisis. It urged the federal government to:
- Investigate the management of privatized electricity entities.
- Protect whistleblowers exposing corruption in the sector.
- Replace officials who have demonstrated incapacity to manage the power sector effectively.
The labor union concluded by reiterating its demand for Adebayo Adelabu’s resignation, warning that failure to address these issues could further plunge the sector into disarray.
