By Bimbola Oyesola and Adewale Sanyaolu
ELECTRICITY supply to consumers in Lagos and parts of Ogun State has dropped to an all time low of 0 per cent, following the picketing of Ikeja Electricity Distribution offices by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE).
Investigations by Daily Sun across some Business Undertaken within the Ikeja Electric network confirmed the threat earlier issued by NUEE on Monday to shut down the operations of Ikeja Electric was being executed.
At the Abule Egba Business Undertaken on Olaniyi Street, the gates to the office were locked while the operational vehicles were parked inside the premises with no workers on ground to attend to customers’ requests. The same scenario played out at the Iju Undertaken office as customers were seen outside the office premises with no workers on ground to attend to their complaints as a result of the picketing exercise by NUEE officials.
Daily Sun checks revealed that consumers under the Ikeja Electric network in Magodo, Alausa, Allen Avenue, Agege, Mafoluku in Lagos and Ajuwon, Akute, Oke Aro, Matogun and Alagbole, all in Ogun State, have been without power supply since Sunday.
A source at Ikeja Electric who pleaded not to be named said the situation has further been compounded as a result of the shut down of the switch room at Egbin Power Plant in Ikorodu.
When contacted, the Head, Corporate Communications, Ikeja Electric, Mr. Felix Ofulue, said workers of Ikeja Electric have not declared a strike but NUEE members were all out picketing their offices.
‘‘We are discussing with them as a result of the sack of some staff who are equally members of NUEE. Though discussion is still ongoing, we are yet to reach a conclusion because some demands are frivolous.
“A lot of our customers are going through a difficult time, especially those that are ready to offset their bills but cannot do so at this moment as a result of the picketing exercise embarked upon by the union,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the workers under the NUEE and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) arrived the IKEDC as early as 7 am for the picketing.
The two unions had condemned the mass sack of 400 workers by the management of the company and had demanded for their recall, failing which they warned that industrial action would be taken against the management. The workers, singing solidarity songs, disrupted business activities of Ikeja Electric and caused traffic gridlock, thereby forcing motorists to seek alternative routes. The General Secretary of NUEE, Joseph Ajaero, at the picketing, said the management of IKEDC had refused to negotiate the conditions of service with the union since the privatisation in 2013, which he noted has made the company to subject the workers to anti-labour treatment and arbitrary sack.