NLC Slams Power Minister Over Claim of 150 Million Nigerians With Adequate Electricity

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticized the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, for claiming that 150 million Nigerians now have access to adequate electricity based on the country’s current power output of 5,500 megawatts.

NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement released Wednesday, described the minister’s remarks as “a bad joke” and “an insult” to Nigerians who continue to endure erratic power supply and frequent blackouts.

The statement was in response to Adelabu’s assertion during the 2025 ministerial sectoral briefing, where he claimed that the current electricity output was sufficient to serve a majority of Nigerians.

Ajaero countered the claim, pointing out that global standards recommend a minimum of 1,000 megawatts per one million people, far above Nigeria’s present output. “By that measure, Nigeria would require at least 200,000MW to adequately serve its population,” he argued.

He also questioned the infrastructure backing such claims, asking, “Where are the power plants generating this supply? Where is the upgraded transmission network to carry this supposed output? Why are homes still in darkness and factories shutting down?”

The NLC president criticised the 2013 power sector privatisation, calling it a “grand betrayal” that has failed to deliver promised improvements, despite receiving over ₦4 trillion in public subsidies.

He also condemned the recent tariff structure under the Band A, B, and C categories, describing it as a “sophisticated scheme to legalise exploitation” and marginalise the poor.

Ajaero further raised alarms over the federal government’s reported plans to privatise the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), calling the move an “economic ruse” designed to benefit elites while working-class Nigerians suffer.

“This wild assertion by the Minister is not only pretentious, but it also mocks the daily struggles of Nigerians living in darkness, paying exorbitant electricity bills, and watching a power sector hijacked for profit,” Ajaero said.

He urged the minister to stop “insulting the intelligence of Nigerians with fabrications and false hope,” adding, “If you truly generate and distribute more power, we will see it—not in press statements, but in our homes and industries.”

Ajaero assured that the NLC would continue to resist what he termed “grand deception and exploitation,” vowing to use all lawful means to advocate for equity and the recovery of the power sector for the benefit of the people.