COVID-19: Electricity workers knock minister over refusal to self-isolate

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has threatened to shut down the nation’s power sector following the refusal of the Minister of Power, Sule Mamah to self-isolate after returning to the country from an official trip to a country with high cases of the coronavirus pandemic.

This threat was contained in a letter sent to the minister by the General Secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, a copy of which was made available to journalists.

Also, electricity workers are aggrieved over the failure of the Federal Ministry of Power to adopt precautionary measures to protect its staff from contracting the COVID-19 disease.

Ajaero said in the letter that the minister should be held responsible should any staff in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), especially at its headquarters contacts the COVID-19 virus.

“Our attention has been drawn to the return of the Minister of Power Sule Mamah from his trip to Germany and Egypt while on the entourage of the chief of staff to the President.

“The minister despite the President’s directive to self-isolate; reported at the office in the midst of agitation and complains from the staff at TCN headquarters, Abuja. If not for the intervention of the union, there would have been pandemonium at the office on March 23.

“In view of recent developments, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) wishes to state unequivocally that the minister will be held responsible for the transmission of COVID-19 to any staff in TCN, especially its headquarters for his failure to comply with the federal government’s directive on people that travelled to countries with high cases of infection to self-isolation.

“Besides, NUEE wishes to warn employers in the power sector, especially those whose staff constantly have an interface with customers/public, that should they fail to within 24 hours take adequate precautionary measures to protect staff, we will be forced to pull out our members and will not be held responsible for any consequence arising there from.

“Employers of labour in the power sector are hereby urged to take necessary measures to ensure the safety of staff in the power sector,” the union demanded.