Abuja DisCo Workers Move to Switch Off Power in Three States, Reasons Emerge
- Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) workers have notified the company of an impending strike
- The workers disclosed that the DisCo has refused to honour its commitment to pay their November 2024 bonuses and staff benefits
- The strike action by the company’s staff will disrupt electricity supplies to three states, including Kogi, Nasarawa, and Niger.
Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
Workers at the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) have threatened to shut down power supply in three states, including Abuja, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Niger.
The development follows a strike notice issued by the electricity workers on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
Source: Getty Images
Union workers give strike notice
The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) gave the electricity distribution company a two-week notice to pay outstanding productivity bonuses and staff benefits. It warned of a strike if the demands were not met.
According to a letter dated June 4, 2025, and signed by the Deputy General Secretary, Corporate Communications of SSAEAC, Rosemary Odey, the union cited management’s failure to clear November 2024 benefits.
They stated that the company refused to honour their obligations after seven months, despite raking in N98 billion in revenue recently.
Other critical issues include 2024 unpaid productivity bonuses, unremitted 18 months of pension deductions, lack of implementation of the national minimum wage, lack of promotions, and health services collapse.
Union members get notice to switch off power
Similarly, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) resumed industrial action over similar issues.
NUEE's actions came after issuing a strike notice on June 3, 2025.
The development shows escalating labour unrest at the company that could impact DisCo’s operations across its franchise areas.
NUEE directed immediate strike mobilisation across the company’s franchise areas, including Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja, if demands are unmet.
This development signals escalating labour tensions that could impact operations across the AEDC’s franchise areas if unresolved.
NERC fines AEDC
Abuja DisCo has faced struggles recently after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) debited it for N1.69 billion for overbilling customers.
NERC disclosed in its May 2025 supplementary order that the deduction was due to AEDC’s non-compliance with the order on capping estimated bills and a review of data further provided by the DisCo.
NERC gives a reason for the deduction
According to reports, NERC approved the N1.69 billion deduction from the total annual OpEx of the DisCo effective September 2024, representing 10% of the overbilled amount by the company for May to September 2023.
Source: Getty Images
The commission disclosed that it has provided the creation of a transmission infrastructure fund (TIF) to finance essential transmission projects and create initiatives to boost the delivery of transmission services in the electricity sector.
The report said:
“The fund shall be centrally managed and can also be used to securitise vendor financing and other Public Private Partnership (“PPP”) arrangements to fund.”
The electricity regulator said that AEDC is obliged by the order to procure a minimum of 61 megawatt capacity of embedded generation, amounting to 10% of its 2024 load allocation.
TheCable reports that NERC said the move will improve the reliability of supply and sustain delivery of a minimum service level under the service-based tariff (SBT).
Strike action to impact power supply, expert
Speaking on the impact of the strike, Wale Ogundeji, an energy analyst, told Legit.ng that the action would affect the power supply.
He said:
"The impending strike by electricity workers poses a significant threat to the stability of power supply in affected areas, especially the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and surrounding regions.
"The strike, which follows unresolved demands from previous negotiations, could lead to widespread blackouts, impacting businesses, healthcare services, and daily living.
"Residents will face increased hardships, with productivity slowing down in critical sectors dependent on electricity.
Furthermore, prolonged power outages could lead to higher operating costs for businesses and hinder the economic recovery of these regions, exacerbating Nigeria's already strained infrastructure challenges."
AEDC releases names, details of customers to get refund
Legit.ng earlier reported that the AEDC has published the list of unmetered customers eligible for a refund or compensation after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) debited the firm.
A previous report by Legit.ng disclosed that NERC approved N1.69 billion deductions from the operating expenditure of AEDC over failure to cap estimated billing.
NERC said the sanction represents 10% of the total amount AEDC overbilled customers between May and September 2023.
The article was updated by the head of the business desk, Victor Enengedi, with additional information and comments from an expert.
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Source: Legit.ng
