Nigeria electricity workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees, on Wednesday, threatened to shut down the power sector over alleged refusal of the Ministry of Power, Sule Mamah, to go into self-isolation after his return from Germany and Egypt.

The union also warned other employers in the sector that it would withdraw services if they fail to provide adequate precautionary measures to protect staff in the sector against COVID-19.

General Secretary of the union, Joe Ajaero, who said this in a letter he signed and addressed to the Minister of Power, noted that the minister would be held responsible if any staff of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, especially those at the headquarters in Abuja contracted the coronavirus.

The letter called on the minister to comply with the Federal Government directive that people who returned to Nigeria from countries with a high burden of coronavirus should go into self-isolation.

Part of the letter read:

“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 complaints from the staff at TCN headquarters, Abuja. If not for the intervention of the union, there would have been pandemonium at the office, on Monday, March 23, 2020.

“In view of recent development, the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, wishes to state unequivocally that the Minister of Power 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-isolate.

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