By Olakunle Oke
Nigeria’s electricity supply has taken a major hit, plunging to 3,200 megawatts following a nationwide strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), which has crippled gas supply to power plants and paralyzed operations across the oil and gas sector.
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) confirmed on Tuesday that available generation capacity dropped sharply from over 4,300MW to about 3,200MW at the lowest point. The agency blamed the drastic decline on labour disruptions in the gas supply chain caused by the strike.
To avert a total blackout, NISO said it immediately deployed emergency measures, including ramping up hydropower output by more than 400MW, real time load balancing, frequency support, and selective load shedding. These interventions, it said, stabilised the grid and ensured supply to critical areas.
“Timely actions by the National Control Centre enabled us to minimise the impact of the labour-induced shortages, sustain operational security, and maintain electricity supply to critical loads,” NISO stated.
PENGASSAN had on Monday, September 29, shut down the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The strike also halted crude oil and gas deliveries to the Dangote Refinery, raising fears of nationwide fuel distribution disruptions.
The industrial action followed the dismissal of about 800 workers at the Dangote Refinery, which the union described as a gross violation of Nigerian labour laws and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
In solidarity, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced full mobilisation against the Dangote Group. NLC President, Joe Ajaero, accused the refinery of operating as a “state within a state” and trampling on workers’ rights.
The combined impact of the strike has sent shockwaves through the energy sector, threatening both electricity supply and fuel distribution in Africa’s biggest economy.