The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned a recent statement credited to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in which he claimed that 150 million Nigerians now enjoy “adequate electricity” with 5,500 megawatts (MW) of power.
Describing the claim as a “bad joke” and a “wild assertion,” the NLC, in a statement issued on its website late Wednesday, said the Minister’s remarks fly in the face of the harsh realities Nigerians confront daily—persistent blackouts, skyrocketing tariffs, and a crippled power sector that continues to underdeliver despite massive public investment.
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“This wild assertion is not only pretentious, it is 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,” the NLC said. “Perhaps, the Minister wants to perform Jesus’ miracle of feeding 5,000 persons with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.”
The Congress questioned the logic behind claiming 150 million people have access to stable power when Nigeria barely generates 5,500MW—an amount they say falls drastically short of the global benchmark of 1,000MW per one million people.
“For the Minister to suggest that over 150 million Nigerians have access to reliable power in a country that struggles to generate a meager and inconsistent 5,000 megawatts… is to insult the intelligence and lived realities of Nigerians,” the statement continued.
“By that standard, Nigeria should be generating no less than 150,000MW to justify such a claim.” The NLC also challenged the government to disclose the location of the supposed power infrastructure supporting such a claim.
“Where are the power plants that make this level of supply possible? Where is the upgraded transmission infrastructure to support such output? Why are our homes still shrouded in darkness and our factories shutting down daily?” it queried.
The union described the Minister’s remarks as a “joke carried too far,” pointing out that millions of Nigerians—from urban slums to remote villages—remain without access to electricity. Those who do have access face erratic supply, arbitrary disconnections, and exploitative billing.
Taking aim at the 2013 power sector privatization, the NLC accused the government of selling the nation’s critical infrastructure to cronies for N400 billion with zero improvement in service delivery more than a decade later.
“The crisis we face today is the direct result of the grand betrayal that was the 2013 power sector privatization… Yet, these same GenCos and DISCOs, which have failed the nation woefully are to receive over N4 trillion in public subsidies with zero accountability,” the NLC fumed.
According to the union, the government is now attempting to sell the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)—the last remaining public component of the power value chain.
It labeled the move as a deliberate attempt to “swallow the remaining power asset by the ruling elite” under the guise of reform. “This move is not reform; it is economic ruse dressed in bureaucratic doublespeak,” the union stated.
The recent hike in electricity tariffs under the “Band A, B, and C” classification also came under fire, with the NLC calling it “a sophisticated scheme to legalize exploitation.”
Despite DISCOs reportedly raking in over N700 billion from consumers, the Congress said power supply remains “epileptic, erratic, and inaccessible to the majority.”
“Millions of Nigerians are now forced to choose between food and electricity bills. It is apparent that those who preside over the helms of affairs have either lost their sense of humanity or do not entirely care about the consequences of their actions on the masses who are undergoing the most severe hardship in our history as a nation,” the union declared.
It further lamented the poor conditions of power sector workers who are underpaid and undervalued while regulatory officials and private investors thrive in a “festival of regulatory impunity.”
“This is most unacceptable and all patriots must speak up against this apparent insensitivity and grandstanding in the name of governance. What is going on presently is clearly not a reform but an organized profiteering,” the statement added.
In a sharp rebuke to the Minister, the NLC concluded with a clear message: “Nigerians are tired of propaganda and statistical gymnastics. Cease from insulting the intelligence of the people with fabrications and false hope… If you generate, transmit and distribute more power, we will see it in our homes and factories; not on the pages of newspaper and on television.”
The NLC vowed not to remain silent as Nigerians continue to be “exploited by economic fat cats,” promising to “deploy all democratic and lawful means” to resist what it calls a grand deception targeting the masses.
“Let there be light—not lies,” the statement concluded.
 has condemned a recent statement credited to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in which he claimed that 150 million Nigerians now enjoy "adequate electricity" with 5,500 megawatts (MW) of power.){kind=link}