The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticized Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu over his claim that 150 million Nigerians now enjoy adequate electricity with just 5,500 megawatts. In a statement released on April 23, 2025, the union described the remark as a blatant insult to the intelligence of Nigerians and a deceptive narrative aimed at masking the true state of the power sector. The NLC emphasized that international standards recommend at least 1,000 megawatts per one million people, which means Nigeria should be generating no less than 150,000 megawatts to meet the needs of its population.
The union questioned the minister’s claims, asking where the supporting power plants and transmission infrastructure are, if such a level of coverage truly exists. It cited widespread blackouts, idle factories, and ongoing outages as clear evidence that the government’s narrative doesn’t match the daily experiences of Nigerians. The NLC traced the roots of the crisis to the 2013 privatization of the power sector, which handed over critical infrastructure to private interests for just N400 billion — a move the union believes sparked more problems than it solved.
More than ten years later, the NLC noted, there has been little to no improvement in electricity supply or infrastructure, despite the billions of naira in public subsidies given to power companies. The union also condemned ongoing efforts to privatize the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), warning that such a move would only worsen the sector’s challenges. It criticized the recent hike in electricity tariffs under the Band A, B, and C system, calling it a veiled exploitation strategy that has forced many Nigerians to choose between food and electricity bills.
In its final message, the NLC accused government officials and private profiteers of enriching themselves while leaving workers underpaid and the public underserved. The union vowed to resist what it called a grand deception, promising to continue pushing for a power sector that genuinely serves the Nigerian people. “If you generate, transmit and distribute more power, we will see it in our homes and factories, not on television and in newspapers,” the NLC stated. President Joe Ajaero concluded: “Let there be light, not lies
