The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the indefinite shutdown of the national grid by its workers union.
Ndidi Mbah, the TCN General Manager for Public Affairs revealed this in a statement on Monday. The National grid was shut down at exactly 2:19 am on Monday, 3rd June 2024.
This is a result of the Nigeria Labour Congress nationwide strike which commenced on Monday across all 36 states. The Labour Congress declared a strike after the government refused to agree on a new minimum wage.
The statement read, "The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby informs the general public that the Labour Union has shut down the national grid, resulting in a blackout nationwide. The national grid shutdown occurred at about 2.19 a.m. this morning, 3rd June 2024.
Other transmission substations that were shut down by the Labour Union include the Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba and Osogbo Transmission Substations. Some transmission lines were equally opened due to the ongoing activities of the labor union. The sudden forced load cuts led to high frequency and system instability, which eventually shut down the national grid at 2:19 a.m.
At about 3.23 a.m., however, TCN commenced grid recovery, using the Shiroro substation to attempt to feed the transmission lines supplying bulk electricity to the Katampe Transmission Substation. We will continue to make efforts to recover and stabilize the grid to enable the restoration of normal bulk transmission of electricity to distribution load centers nationwide."