LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria plunged into darkness and air travel came to a halt on Monday as union workers stormed the national grid and shut down the country’s power supply.
The strike, initiated by the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), left tens of millions without power and disrupted flights nationwide.
Operators from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) were forcibly removed from control rooms by cane-wielding union workers, resulting in injuries and chaos.
Photos circulating on social media showed union members ordering tax agency personnel out of their offices.
The strike follows failed negotiations with the government to raise the federal minimum wage.
The unions are demanding an increase from 30,000 naira ($22.4) to 494,000 naira ($369.6), a demand Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga called “unreasonable” on the social media platform X.
The government had proposed a 100% increase to 60,000 naira ($44.89), which the unions rejected.
Despite Nigeria being Africa’s fourth-largest economy, its minimum wage is among the continent’s lowest.
The strike has had widespread ramifications. Airports in Lagos and Abuja were paralyzed, with all incoming and outgoing flights grounded.
Nigerian Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi has declared the strike illegal, calling it “premature and ineffectual.”
The strike has polarized public opinion, with some supporting the unions’ demands for a livable wage, while others argue the actions are detrimental to ordinary citizens.
“I support the strike action by the NLC. 30k or 60k minimum wage in 2024 Nigeria is unsustainable and unacceptable,” wrote lawyer Festus Ogun on X.
This strike comes amid Nigeria’s economic challenges, including high inflation, currency devaluation, and a cost-of-living crisis.
President Bola Tinubu’s administration has faced backlash for controversial public spending, including a 90 billion-naira subsidy for the Hajj pilgrimage and budgets for luxury SUVs and renovations.
Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale admitted the current wage is “unsustainably low” but warned that the unions’ proposed increase could have severe economic consequences, including higher school fees and potential mass retrenchments.
“Nigerian parents will now have to grapple with school fees that are 10 times more than what they are paying today,” Ngelale warned.
