NLC slams power Minister over “adequate electricity” claim

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has berated the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, over his recent claim that 150 million Nigerians currently enjoy adequate electricity from a national power generation capacity of 5,500 megawatts.

In a statement released on Tuesday, which was signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC described the minister’s assertion as “outrageous” and “a joke taken too far,” warning that such comments insult the lived realities of millions of Nigerians who continue to grapple with frequent blackouts, high tariffs, and unreliable power supply.

“For the Minister to suggest that over 150 million Nigerians have access to reliable power in a country that struggles to generate a meager and inconsistent 5,000 megawatts-far below the global benchmark of

1,000MW per one million people-is to insult the intelligence and lived realities of Nigerians,” it said.

The congress argued that the claim defies international standards, noting that the global benchmark is 1,000MW per one million people, implying that Nigeria should be generating no less than 150,000MW for its population of over 200 million.

“By that standard, Nigeria should be generating no less than 150,000MW to justify such a claim. Yet, even on its best day, the country’s electricity generation has never exceeded 5,500MW, and that figure remains unstable and unreliable.”

The workers’ body also took aim at the 2013 privatization of Nigeria’s power sector, calling it a “grand betrayal” that handed over critical national infrastructure to private interests for N400 billion, with little to show in terms of improved service delivery over a decade later.

“Rather than fix the rot, this government now plans to sell off the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)—the last publicly owned component of the power value chain. This move is not reform; it is economic ruse dressed in bureaucratic doublespeak,” the NLC warned.

The Congress also condemned the recent electricity tariff hike under the “Band A, B, and C” classification, describing it as a “sophisticated scheme to legalize exploitation” that has left millions of Nigerians forced to choose between basic necessities like food and electricity.

It further lamented the plight of workers in the power sector, who it said continue to hold the system together despite being poorly paid and undervalued.

The NLC cautioned the Minister to: “Cease from insulting the intelligence of the people with fabrications and false hope. Nigerians deserve more respect.”

The congress reiterated its commitment to using all lawful means to resist what it described as the continued exploitation of Nigerians through failed policies and deceptive governance.