Kaduna: Strike Begins With Total Blackout

In compliance with the directive of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to unions and affiliates to begin five-day warning strike from midnight of Sunday in Kaduna, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has knocked off all the 33KV lines in Kaduna State in compliance with the directive.

The National Union of Electricity Employees had earlier informed the public about the directive of the NLC asking it to join the strike.

The action of the TCN led to total blackout in Kaduna state as part of efforts to force the government of Malam Nasir El-Rufai to rescind its policy of the sack of workers.

El-Rufai had on Saturday said his government would not bow to blackmail and insisted that it was not sustainable to spend 84 per cent to 96 per cent of its federal allocation on salaries and personnel costs.

The Kaduna State Government had insisted that it had been subjected to a campaign of lies, misrepresentation and false claims that its rightsizing exercise affected 4,000 workers and that it had stopped paying the minimum wage.

However, in a statement issued by the management of Kaduna Electric on Sunday, the company told its customers in Kaduna State that the service interruption as of Sunday was a result of the industrial action embarked upon by the NLC.