The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, says the Organised Labour committed a treasonable offence by shutting down the national grid.

The labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), in the early hours of Monday, June 3, 2024, shut down the national grid in commencement of a nationwide strike, throwing the country into a blackout.

The unions had embarked on the industrial action over a new minimum wage and hike in electricity tariff.

Speaking with the National Executive Council of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abuja on Thursday, Akume condemned the shutdown of the national grid, describing it as a treasonable offence.

The SGF stated that there was nowhere in the world where labour ever interrupted the national grid.

He, however, enjoined the labour against actions that could jeopardise government efforts.

Akume said: “It is treason. Treasonable felony is economic sabotage, you don’t do that.

Strike: Blackout as electricity workers shut national grid

“We are trying to rebuild the economy. The nation is picking up and they want to destroy it. Of what use is that to all of us? That is not the way.”

Akume said the federal government was not only committed to paying new minimum wage, stressing that it was also focusing on productivity and economic stability.

The SGF added: “Our people must rise up and have something in their pockets. It is not about demanding N100,000 without productivity.

“We are looking at controlling inflation and ensuring a balanced economy.”

Akume further urged religious institutions to provide essential services, saying: “The church must collaborate with the government in providing facilities for people whether it is on education, health, or agriculture.

“We don’t separate, we combine. There is a symbiotic relationship that can never be destroyed.”

The Star