The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for urgent reforms in the country’s struggling power sector, including merging the Ministries of Petroleum and Power into a single Ministry of Energy.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, NLC President Joe Ajaero rejected the proposed ₦6 trillion bailout for power generation (GenCos) and distribution companies (DisCos). “The proposed ₦6 trillion bailout is a mere symptom of deeper structural failures in the power sector, and repeated financial interventions have not translated into improved electricity supply for Nigerians,” he said.
Ajaero highlighted the inefficiencies caused by the separate ministries. “The nation’s thermal power generation, which accounts for the bulk of our grid capacity, is held hostage by gas supply gaps. The Petroleum Ministry prioritizes the profits of International Oil Companies and local moguls, while the Power Ministry is left to explain why the grid collapses,” he added.
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He stressed that electricity should serve the public, not private profit. “By merging the ministries, we take the first step toward de-commodifying energy. A unified Ministry would ensure gas is used primarily to generate domestic power, industrialize the nation, and create jobs, rather than being flared or exported while Nigerians suffer in darkness.”
The NLC also urged the Federal Government to organize a National Stakeholders’ Summit to develop a “People’s Power Roadmap” focused on public ownership, energy security, and worker welfare.
Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, an APC leader in Osun State, echoed concerns over worsening power outages, describing them as a setback to government reforms and calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene.