The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the federal government to carry out a comprehensive audit of the power sector and review the existing privatisation model, following the nationwide grid collapse that plunged much of the country into darkness.

In a statement on Wednesday, NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero criticized the government’s continued financial support for privatised electricity companies, insisting that such funds should instead be channelled into public-driven investments in power generation and transmission.

“Since the government has N4 trillion to invest in the sector, we suggest that the funds must be redirected towards a public-led initiative to build new generation capacity and revitalise the transmission infrastructure instead of handing it over to the Gencos and Discos,” Ajaero said.

He stressed that Nigerians can no longer tolerate what he described as “man-made blackouts” and demanded urgent action to stabilize the power supply.

The collapse, which occurred at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday, was triggered when a generating company tripped, causing a chain reaction across the grid. According to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), restoration began around 11:45 a.m. from the Shiroro power plant, and by 8:21 p.m., supply had risen to 1,583MW, with major allocations including Abuja Disco (243MW), Ikeja (239MW), and Eko (204MW).

Electricity distribution companies, including AEDC, Ikeja Electric, and Kano Disco, had earlier informed customers of widespread outages. Kano Disco also urged customers to remain patient and protect installations from vandals during the blackout.

The NLC insisted that, beyond short-term fixes, a fundamental overhaul of the power sector is necessary to end recurring failures and deliver stable electricity to Nigerians.