Nigerians could be plunged into darkness as electricity workers across the country have begun an indefinite strike over poor welfare and unpaid entitlements.

The strike was announced in a notice signed on Wednesday by the Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Dominic Igwebike.

According to the union, the industrial action follows the expiration of an ultimatum issued to the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) over several unresolved issues affecting staff welfare and the electricity sector at large.

The grievances listed by NUEE include:

Non-implementation of the national minimum wage

Casualisation of workers

Non-payment of staff salaries since April 2025

Lack of working tools and materials

Non-provision of operational vehicles

Non-provision of protective equipment (PPEs) since 2021

Issues arising from the unbundling of TCN

Non-payment of retirement benefits

The union accused TCN of handling these matters with “kid gloves” and failing to provide any concrete plan to resolve them.

“We cannot continue to fold our arms while we watch our rights being vehemently violated and the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) going down the drain. To this end, the Union is compelled to withdraw its services,” the statement read.

NUEE has therefore directed all its members nationwide to withdraw their services with immediate effect until management meets their demands.

This is not the first time such action has disrupted electricity supply in Nigeria. In June 2024, a similar strike by NUEE left large parts of the country in blackout.

As at the time of this report, the spokesperson of TCN, Ndidi Mbah, had not responded to inquiries on the development.

With the strike now in effect, Nigerians may have to brace for another round of prolonged power outages unless urgent steps are taken to resolve the dispute.