Electricity supply is being restored in Edo State following a peace agreement between Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), ending a dispute that contributed to days of power outages across the state.
The agreement was reached at a meeting in Abuja convened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and attended by NLC President Joe Ajaero, Labour Minister Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi and former Edo governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Under the agreement, the Edo State Government will recognise the NLC caretaker committee and work with organised labour towards conducting a substantive election within three to six months.
Ajaero confirmed the resolution and said electricity would be restored following the settlement. Dingyadi also said power restoration would begin immediately, while the parties agreed to rebuild cooperation and address outstanding labour concerns.
The blackout followed two related but separate disputes. One involved the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over workers’ pay and welfare, including salary adjustments, promotions, overtime payments and protective equipment. The other centred on the Edo State Government’s refusal to recognise the state NLC caretaker committee.
The industrial action disrupted electricity supply and affected homes, businesses, schools and healthcare facilities. BEDC had earlier appealed to the state government and labour leaders to resolve their differences, warning that the prolonged outage was harming residents and economic activities.
Oshiomhole described the disagreement as a communication gap and said the settlement had removed the reason for continuing the action. Akume commended the parties for choosing dialogue to resolve the dispute.
The agreement comes as state governments face growing pressure to improve electricity access and develop more effective power markets. Vice-President Kashim Shettima recently urged states to take greater responsibility for electricity reform by attracting private investment and developing local energy resources. Read TheDailyNewsHub’s related report, Shettima Urges States to Build Own Electricity Markets, Reduce Dependence on FG.
Although the settlement has paved the way for electricity restoration, the practical resumption of supply depends on the return of workers and the normal operation of the distribution network. Residents will be looking for sustained restoration after days of disruption.