The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC) have clashed over the federal government’s handling of the country’s power sector legacy debt, even as electricity outages persist across several states.
NLC President Joe Ajaero condemned the government’s plan to allocate N3 trillion from the Federation Account to GenCos as partial repayment of the N6.5 trillion debt, calling it a “heist” and a “grand deception” that shortchanges Nigerians. “Nigerians cannot and should not continue to pay for darkness,” Ajaero said on Thursday.
Responding, APGC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joy Ogaji argued that the government genuinely owes GenCos N6.5 trillion, warning that inadequate repayment and ongoing disputes could destabilize the country’s power sector. She described the recent N501 billion issuance of power sector bonds as insufficient to address accumulated debts.
The disagreement comes amid widespread electricity disruptions. Enugu and Port Harcourt electricity distribution companies reported outages on Thursday due to grid collapse, while the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company announced interruptions in parts of the capital on Friday.
As the NLC and GenCos continue their public dispute over financial obligations, millions of Nigerians remain affected by unreliable power supply, highlighting growing frustrations with the country’s energy infrastructure.
