Grace Adeleke
Electricity workers under the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) have threatened to shut down electricity operations nationwide following the alleged assault and arrest of 10 employees of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company in Bauchi State by personnel of the Nigerian Air Force.
The union issued a three-day ultimatum to the authorities, demanding urgent intervention and action over the alleged incident.
The ultimatum, which commenced on Monday, September 21, is expected to expire on Wednesday, September 23.
The National Deputy President of SSAEAC, Rilwanu Shehu, disclosed this during a protest in Bauchi over the alleged invasion of the JED operational office and arrest of the electricity workers.
According to him, the incident occurred on September 18 after JED disconnected electricity supply to the Nigerian Air Force quarters along the Ningi-Kano Road over alleged outstanding electricity bills.
Shehu said the distribution company had notified the relevant NAF authorities before carrying out the disconnection.
He, however, alleged that NAF personnel subsequently stormed the JED office, arrested 10 employees and assaulted them before taking them to an undisclosed location.
The union leader further claimed that some of the affected workers were receiving medical treatment as a result of injuries allegedly sustained during the incident.
Shehu said the development had created fear among electricity workers, warning that the union could be forced to withdraw services nationwide if the matter was not resolved within the stipulated period.
“We are scared, we are not safe and cannot continue with our activities,” he said.
He added that the union had given security agencies an opportunity to intervene and resolve the matter amicably.
“We will ground the activities of the electricity industry in the entire nation if nothing is done to the NAF men who assaulted our staff,” Shehu warned.
The union official said SSAEAC would pursue all available legal avenues to seek redress, insisting that electricity workers should be able to perform their statutory duties without intimidation or harassment.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Chairman of the National Union of Electricity Employees, Sikamta Mshelinga, said electricity workers in the state had been directed to remain at home and withdraw their services pending further directives from the national leadership.
The directive has heightened concerns that the dispute could escalate into wider industrial action across the electricity sector if no resolution is reached before the expiration of the ultimatum.
In a related development, leaders of SSAEAC and NUEE, alongside officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigeria Union of Journalists and Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union, met with the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police and the state Director of the Department of State Services.
The labour representatives formally reported the alleged assault and arrest of the electricity workers to the security authorities and appealed for immediate intervention.
The unions called for an amicable resolution of the dispute and urged the authorities to guarantee the safety of electricity workers while carrying out their official responsibilities.
The unions’ position followed the alleged confrontation between the electricity workers and NAF personnel over the disconnection of power to the military quarters, with the electricity unions maintaining that their members should not be subjected to violence in the course of enforcing electricity supply regulations.
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