IKEDC Staff Sack: Power Blackout Looms In Lagos

Residents of Lagos may been forced to spend some days in darkness if the crisis between the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, and a coalition of labour unions is not quickly solved.

As you read this, the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE; Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, are poised for a showdown with the company.

They have threatened to shut down Egbin power station and other power plants across the country if their demands are not met.

They are protesting the sack of about 400 members of NUEE last Friday, including its Deputy President, Christian Omemeh, by the management of IKEDC.

Already, a seven-day ultimatum has been given to the management of IKEDC by these unions to recall the affected workers unconditionally or risk unprecedented industrial action.

NUPENG said it had already directed its members at the Nigeria Gas Company, NGC, to commence a shutdown of supplies of gas to the thermal stations and plants, if the 400 workers were not called back to work when the ultimatum expired.

But the IKEDC seems not to be moved by the threats. It said the sack was part of its strategic steps aimed at repositioning its business for better performance.

Head, Corporate Communications, Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofulue disclosed that “the key objectives of the company is to create a high performing organization, which satisfies the needs of all of our stakeholders, especially our customers, as we reposition for growth.”

He explained that, “In the last few months, the electricity distribution company has scaled up the metering programme in order to meet the expectations of our customers and further reduce the agitation on estimated billing. It has also achieved significant strides in human capital development, which is critical to the repositioning programme.

“As part of the strategic initiative, the company also embarked on a re-engineering exercise focused on aligning the company’s structure with its operating model and optimizing human capital capacity for better efficiency.

“We wish to assure all our customers that the organization has put in place processes to ensure excellent delivery of quality service to our customers in 2016 and beyond.”