Power Plant
By Ejiofor Alike
The country was saved from total blackout in electricity supply by the soldiers that were previously deployed to guard the facilities of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), THISDAY has learnt.
As the nation-wide crisis over the removal of subsidy raged, attempts by the workers of the PHCN to shutdown power stations, such as the 1,320megawatts capacity Egbin Power Station were resisted by the soldiers guarding the installations.
This came amid concern that total blackout might envelope the country because since electricity cannot be stored, the generated power, which were largely rejected due to the closure of many businesses, had the potential to damage the various generating power plants and force total shutdown.
It was learnt that the workers at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, the biggest power plant in the country had a running battle with the soldiers stationed at the facility, as they effectively prevented the workers from shutting down the plant.
The soldiers, who were deployed to the various PHCN installations few months before the strike, provided tight security for the top management of the various power stations across the country and few system operators to run the plants and maintain limited supply.
It was also gathered that another group of ‘dissident’ workers popularly referred to as ‘free riders’, who neither belong to the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) nor the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), also assisted the management in running the plants.
National Secretary of NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero, did not pick his calls when contacted but the Western Zonal Vice Chairman of NUEE, Mr. Mbang Obol Ntukube told THISDAY that the unions were investigating how power could be generated when the workers were on strike.
“We are meeting to find out if some of our boys are held captive by soldiers to generate electricity,” he told THISDAY.
But a top official of SSAEC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed the running of power stations on the ‘free riders’, soldiers and the management of the plants.
“We have successfully prevented all other categories of staff from working but the management and the soldiers are using the system operators to run the plants. The free riders are also helping them and they think they are smart. They enjoy all the benefits from our collective bargaining but they don’t belong to the unions. In every system, there must be a Judas,” he said.
He however stated that the entire country would soon be plunged into total darkness because the power generated were being rejected due to closure of businesses and faulty distribution lines and transformers, which could not be replaced because of the ongoing strike.
“Faults on the distribution lines and transformers prevent consumers from taking the power generated and the senior management cannot handle such faults. Many factories that take power have also closed down. So, if power generated is being rejected, it will go back and knock off the machines because electricity cannot be stored. The generating plants are already feeling the rejection of the loads outside,” he said.