Members of the National Electricity Employees of Nigeria have threatened to block the 11KV lines of three states under its catchment areas and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), tomorrow (Thursday) if the meeting between the union and the management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) over its welfare package fails to produce any tangible results.
The three affected states, apart from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, are Kogi, Nasarawa, and Niger States.
The Secretary of the National Electricity Employees of Nigeria, Niger State Chapter, Alhaji Muazu Ibrahim, stated this in a telephone interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Minna, the state capital.
Alhaji Muazu Ibrahim explained that the decision to embark on the peaceful protest followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the AEDC by the union.
This, he said, had forced them to embark on a protest by picketing all the offices in the affected states, including the AEDC headquarters at Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, to press home their demands.
According to him, some of their demands include the non-payment of their 16 months of pension arrears, stagnation for 11 years (i.e., the absence of career progression), the lack of designated hospitals for its members to access medical services, and the casualization of members for 11 years by the management of AEDC, among others.
Alhaji Muazu Ibrahim further stated that if the situation persists, they would be left with no other option than to block the 33KV lines and suspend the online recharging of power by its customers.
He, however, added that members of the National Electricity Employees of Nigeria are peace-loving Nigerians and, as such, will follow and exhaust all the necessary acceptable procedures before embarking on their next line of action, in the interest of the union and Nigeria as a whole.
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