The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected a proposed N6 trillion (approximately $7.3 billion USD) bailout for power generation companies, arguing that repeated financial injections have failed to resolve chronic electricity shortages across the country. In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, NLC President Joe Ajaero called for fundamental structural reforms instead of further cash supports for what he termed a “flawed system.”
Ajaero described the bailout as a superficial solution to deep-seated failures within the power sector. He contended that past interventions have not translated into improved supply for consumers, who continue to face high tariffs and persistent outages. “We cannot continue to deploy public funds to sustain a fundamentally flawed system, while ordinary citizens bear the burden of inefficiency,” the statement read.
The labour leader urged the Federal Government to merge the Ministries of Petroleum and Power into a unified Ministry of Energy. He argued that the current bureaucratic separation creates inefficiencies, particularly in coordinating natural gas supply crucial for thermal power generation. An integrated energy framework, he said, would better prioritise domestic electricity needs and support national development.
The NLC also insisted that public funds should not prop up what it characterised as failed private investments in the sector. Ajaero advocated for electricity to be treated explicitly as a social service and a fundamental right, not a profit-driven commodity, to achieve affordable and reliable power. He stressed that any reform must centre on public interest, service delivery, and the welfare of workers and citizens.
To chart a new course, Ajaero called for a national stakeholders’ summit to develop a people-centred roadmap for the power sector. This, he said, is necessary to formulate policies that ensure energy security and improve living standards. The rejection highlights the ongoing tension between financial rescue packages and demands for systemic overhaul in Nigeria’s effort to solve its persistent power supply challenges, a key constraint on economic growth and quality of life.
