Nigeria experiences power outage due to national grid shutdown by union workers demanding increased minimum wage.
Millions upon millions of people are left without electricity, and flights are being disrupted due to the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) initiating an indefinite strike.
Employees from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) were physically removed from their control rooms, as TCN reported. Workers affiliated with canes were also seen in pictures circulated through social media on Monday forcing staff from the country's tax agency to leave their offices.
This strike came after failed negotiations with the government to increase the federal minimum wage. The unions are also protesting a recent increase in electricity rates.
The unions' demands consist of elevating the minimum wage from the 30,000 naira ($22.4) to a staggering 494,000 naira ($369.6). Presidential aid Bayo Onanuga deemed these demands "unreasonable" on the social media platform X.
The government proposed a 100% increase to 60,000 naira ($44.89), which was rejected by the unions in favor of a 1,547% increase.
Even as Nigeria serves as Africa's fourth-largest economy, its minimum wage ranks among the continent's lowest, trailing countries like Seychelles, where workers receive a minimum wage of $465.4 per month.
Devastating effects on healthcare
The strike is creating turmoil, resulting in problematic travel conditions. Flights have grounded at two major Nigerian airports - Lagos and Abuja. Airport staff verified to CNN that all incoming and outgoing flights were halted, deepening the crisis.
The strike is also causing severe disruptions in healthcare services. Nigerian physician Olusina Ajidahun informed CNN of his concern and explained that his medical facility, situated in southwest Nigeria, was unable to power vital hospital apparatus since the national grid was shut down.
"I'm anxious. The healthcare system is on the verge of failure," he said. "This morning, we had an emergency unit, and everywhere was dark. Patients and healthcare workers were shrouded in darkness."
Nigerian Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi has declared the strike illegal in a letter to the labor unions, calling it "immature and ineffective", said Onanuga.
The strike is generating a wide range of reactions on social media from Nigerians, with some voicing support and others criticizing it as a blow to citizens.
"I support the strike action by the NLC. 30k or 60k minimum wage in 2024 Nigeria is unacceptable and unsustainable," lawyer Festus Ogun said in a message on X.
"The NLC should refrain from actions that punish ordinary citizens - the average Nigerian. Essential services like electricity, roads, airports, and other important infrastructure should function as usual," argued management consultant Dipo Awojide.
Economic struggles and controversial spending
Nigeria is grappling with many economic challenges like the depreciation of its currency, which has hit record lows in recent months, as well as a cost-of-living crisis marked by surging costs for food, transportation, and healthcare. Inflation has spiked to 33.69%.
President Bola Tinubu's administration has faced backlash for the controversy over spending public funds, further fueling public discontent.
Last month, President Tinubu sanctioned a 90 billion-naira ($67 million) subsidy for Muslims attending the Hajj pilgrimage, and before that, large-scale budgets were allocated for luxury SUVs, renovations for presidential residences, and vehicles owned by the First Lady's office - which is not legally recognized in Nigeria.
Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale admitted that the current wage is "extremely low," but cautioned that the proposed increase would have grave economic consequences, including drastically higher tuition costs and potential mass layoffs if schools and other institutions couldn't afford the higher wages.
"Parents will now have to deal with school fees ten times higher than what they pay today," he said. "You are mandating schools to pay cooks, janitors, and others 20 times more in wages?"
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The power outage and strike are affecting various sectors beyond Nigeria, as flights from Lagos and Abuja airports have been disrupted, affecting travel plans globally. The strike is also causing significant problems in healthcare facilities across Africa's most populous nation, with hospitals like the one in southwest Nigeria unable to power vital equipment due to the national grid shutdown.
