The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly rebuked Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, following his assertion that 150 million Nigerians now enjoy adequate electricity supply from a national output of 5,500 megawatts.
NLC President Joe Ajaero, in a statement released Wednesday, called the minister’s remarks “a joke taken too far,” saying the claim defies reality for millions enduring chronic power shortages across the country.
“The wild assertion is not only pretentious but also a bad joke on a people daily confronted by grinding darkness, outrageous electricity tariffs, and a power sector manipulated for private profit at the expense of national progress,” Ajaero said.
Drawing a biblical analogy, Ajaero quipped, “Perhaps the minister wants to perform Jesus’ miracle of feeding 5,000 persons with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.”
He accused Adelabu of attempting to insult the intelligence of Nigerians, noting that the national generation capacity falls drastically short of global benchmarks.
“In a country that struggles to generate an erratic 5,000 megawatts, far below the global standard of 1,000 megawatts per one million people, it is misleading to claim that 150 million citizens have reliable power access,” Ajaero argued.
The union stressed that Nigeria would need to generate at least 150,000 megawatts to meet international standards and justify such a claim.
“Even at its best, Nigeria has never surpassed 5,500 megawatts, and even that figure is unstable and unreliable,” the statement noted.
The NLC questioned the infrastructure needed to support the minister’s claims, citing persistent blackouts and widespread industrial shutdowns.
“Where are the upgraded power plants? Where is the transmission infrastructure to carry such supply? Why do our homes remain in darkness and our factories close down daily?” the union queried.
Ajaero further criticized the minister’s metrics for measuring progress in the power sector, calling them detached from the harsh realities Nigerians face.
“Millions of citizens in both urban and rural areas remain without electricity. Those with access suffer frequent outages, arbitrary disconnections, and exploitative billing,” he said.
The NLC urged the federal government to stop what it called “performative governance” and focus on real reforms that address the power crisis and improve quality of life.
