· Workers shut down TCN Hqtrs for two days
· Power Minister, officials , others denied access, activities paralyzed
By Francis Ekeh and Gloria Akudoro
On Wednesday, 22 January, 2025, a letter of invitation was sent out from the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila notifying some key government officials of the planned visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, to attend the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit on 28 January, 2025
The letter requested the government officials to attend a preview meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday, 23 January, 2025 at 3pm in the Conference Room of the Chief of Staff to the President, State House Abuja. Each invitee was asked to be prepared to brief the meeting on aspects of the visit that fall under his/her purview. Among those invited were the Honourable Ministers of Power, Environment, Foreign Affairs and Finance.A
Also invited were some chief executives of parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Power.
On receipt of the letter, the Honourable Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, was said to have summoned Heads of Agencies under his Ministry to a meeting in his office on Thursday 23 January by 1.00pm from where they would depart to the State House. Unfortunately, New National Star learnt that the meeting could not hold because the gates to the building housing the Federal Ministry of Power (FMP) which incidentally is the Headquarters of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) was locked by TCN workers under the auspices of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) who were picketting TCN for refusing to meet their demands. The blockade lasted for two days – Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 January, 2025
It was not only the meeting that was affected. Both the Honourable Minister, his Aides, Directors, and other officials including those of the TCN were not allowed to access their offices. Even visitors and contractors were turned back at the gate. Field officers could not get the required attention they needed from their supervising heads at the Headquarters. As a result, activities at both the Ministry and TCN were paralyzed with monumental loss to the nation’s economy.
Some members of the NUEE said the worker’s action would have been avoided had the TCN management been professional in handling the matter. Sources said the workers’ anger was as a result of what a TCN union leader described as the “ non-challant attitude” of TCN leadership to the workers’ demands, orchestrated by ongoing feud within the leadership of the company.
The Union members were said to have gone to the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Engr, Aziz, requesting to know the reasons for the delay in implementing the demands of the workers bordering essentially on workers welfare and provision of working tools. In response, the MD/CEO was said to have told the union leaders that he had given approval to their demands. He was said to have directed the workers to one of the Executive Directors (names withheld) whom he said was responsible for the non-payment of the workers’ entitlements.
It was further gathered that the Union leaders were infuriated by what they described as “disrespectful” response they got from the said Executive Director, who it was learnt, told them point blank that there was no money.
The ED was quoted to told the Union leaders that even though the MD had given approval, he would not release the fund. This, it was gathered infuriated the Union leaders, forcing them to call out the workers to picket the premises.
Sources within TCN said that for sometime now there has not been love lust between the MD/CEO and some of the Executive Directors, with some of them frustrating the MD’s efforts to give the country stable power supply. Observers have recently attributed the constant grid collapses in the country to activities of detractors bent on undermining the activities of the Aziz-led TCN.
Efforts made to get official response from TCM General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, on the issues happening within the company failed as she did not answer her calls.
However, her deputy, Mr. Bili Akau, Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, said the issue was between the union and the management which had been resolved.
“The issue was long resolved, it didn’t last a day. It was just a misunderstanding between the union and the management which was resolved immediately,” he stated
On what led to the Union picketing the TCN premises, he said, “I don’t think it is necessary because it’s an internal thing and it was resolved. I don’t think it is something we want to talk about.”
However, a top official of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) Engr. Martins Uzoegwu, confirmed that the national leadership of the NUEE shut down TCN Headquarters on Wednesday 22 January, 2025. Speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Mr. Uzoegwu who is the immediate past President of NUEE, said the Union had “some unresolved issues concerning staff welfare between NUEE and TCN Management.” He listed the workers’ demands to include:
1. TCN Management plan to shift payment of bulk rent/gym and education allowances from January to March
2. Non-payment of terminal benefits since June 2024
3. Non-payment of transfer allowance since July 2024
4. Non-payment of third party deductions
5. Stopping of payment of wage award to contract Staff
6. Non-payment of outstation imprest
7. Non-confirmation of acting appointment
8. Planned separation of TSP and NISO
9. Non-regularisation of over 1800 Contract Staff/ employment with Staff numbers that have been working for more than 2yrs, and,
10. Non-increase in Workers Salary/Allowances even when there is hardship and Consequential adjustment in Minimum wage by the Fed Gov.
Also speaking, the current NUEE President, Engr. Adeyeye Opeyemi Adebiyi, said the action of the workers was in line with the rule of the game.
His words: “We only exercised the normal rule of engagement that we understand, having exhausted every means of negotiation or engagement. They did not allow us to negotiate the best way we can, and we resorted to picketing. We only picketed them, not that we shut down the organisation or operations. We did not tamper with the supply, we only asked the person that is not working to the direction of workers to leave the office because it might affect or further affect the smooth operations, or smooth running of power sector. Reasons why, we took that action.
“That’s exactly what happened. We only picketed some part of the management of TCN, not even all, while some were allowed to do their normal activities.
“Immediately we started , the ministry intervened because TCN shares same building with the Federal Ministry of Power, and they had to intervene on the matter. They intervened by asking us to at least submit all our grievances which has been submitted to them. And now we know that a committee has been formed to resolve this matter, and hopefully we are expecting result between now and next week. “According to the ministry and partially, some other issues were attended to, like certain claims of engineers that are working on the field, which might result to problem in the system if they are not given their outstanding allowances, that’s if they do not attend to them on time.
“For instance, some people are working with tools, some of the tools have expired, and they have made requests since last year. There are some logistics that are needed for them to work with which have not been provided. And they lack funds to get all these things. These are part of the reasons why we will not allow such things to continue because Nigerians now run to us each time we have system collapse. But when you don’t want system collapse, then there must be a smooth running of the organisation. And how can an organisation work smoothly? It is when you have the logistics to work with. So these are the reasons.
“We also made some demands to some people that are securing these assetd, especially our towers in the bush; they make use of vigilantes everywhere, almost everywhere, to secure infrastructure. And these people are also complaining that for months they have not been paying them their monthly allowances. You know that is not healthy for us as a nation. This is part of our demands, and so many others.
“So, the one they think they cannot attend to immediately, they’ve made a promise to do , and they are doing it according to what they told us.
‘Let me also say that following the union action, TCN management has started attending to some of our requests. That is, some outstanding funds that were due for payment since last year. They have started paying some for the purpose of buying tools and some to the engineers in the field. Also those who are securing the towers, some of them have confirmed that they have paid part of the allowances they are owing them.
“But majorly the ones we are expecting, the ones that’s a bit difficult for them, that they think they need approval from the ministry, or that they need confirmation of appointment of some of our AGMs, GMs that they have spent over two years in acting capacity, which is against the rules of engagement, is against the provision of Service Rule. So I think the ministry is sitting on that and looking out to find solution to that also, and some other little issues that they think they cannot do immediately. I think they are working on it now.
“It was a directive from the minister that the Permanent Secretary should see to it within a week. The committee was given a week to submit report on what transpired and the solution to all what is happening. But from the Union, after one week without results the next thing is for us to probably carry on our actions.
“Our agitations always have been for workers in the power sector, and majorly, what we always say everywhere we go is for the management to understand that we are stakeholders, we are partners in progress and it should not be waiting until when we now use the means of force or picketing to demand for our need. For us to have a progress in the power sector, the management must be proactive in attending to issues. It’s not every time we must come out and say we are locking the gate tomorrow or picketing.
“What we are asking is for the progress of the power sector. If they are not paying claims to workers that are on the field, how do we expect them to cope? If they are not buying logistics or buying tools, how do you expect them to work? If you are being owed for more than two, three years of work that has been delivered, then how do you expect them to do more? They should try as much as possible to boost their morals.
On the TCN management claim of insufficient funds, the NUEE President said: “There’s no single time you approach TCN management about a critical issue, and they will tell you, there’s money. It’s always no money. But if you tell us there’s no money, and you see some critical things that are very, very essential for the growth of the organisation being abandoned, then how do we make progress about that? You say there’s no money, and you discover that contracts have been awarded. Awarding contract to people everywhere, even the ones that are not even essential to power sector. The one that has nothing to do with the growth of our generation or transmission of electricity or distribution. And you expect us to keep quiet, and we are the one facing a lot of problems on the field, looking for ways to manage the obsolete equipment that we are operating on.
“If you recall, the last system collapse we had in Nigeria was caused by just an accelerator that was not properly, probably either maintained or replaced on time. These are the issues we are trying to call their attention to.
“Even though they are telling us there is no money, the existing structures must not collapse before you find solutions to it. It will cost you more money by the time you are waiting till that one collapses. There should be improvement in responding to major issues in the sector.
“Firstly, when you have a competent hand and handling issues, you see results. If they know they don’t have a competent hand in some of their departments, they should find solution to it. We will not be the ones to tell them who is competent or not.
“They should not see the union as the enemies of the organisation. We are partners and we are ready to move the organisation forward which we have been doing but they should not put us till when things get bad before they are fixed”, he ended.