Northern group commends Uba Sani for intervening in electricity workers dispute

Arewa Think Tank has commended Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, for intervening in the industrial dispute between the management of Kaduna Electric and the labour unions.

On January 3, the Kaduna state council of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) embarked on an indefinite strike to protest the alleged dismissal of 900 workers from the distribution company (DisCo).

Denying the claim in a statement on January 4, Abdulhazeez Abdullahi, KAEDCO spokesperson, clarified that only 450 employees were affected by the downsizing.

The dispute led to power outage in Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states.

On January 6, Hadiza Balarabe, the deputy governor of Kaduna, appealed to the DisCo and striking workers to resolve their dispute and restore electricity to the states.

On February 8, KAEDCO agreed to restore power.

In a statement on Sunday, Arewa Think Tank said Sani had met with the feuding camps and afterwards, it was resolved that the management should review its actions and the unions should restore electricity as negotiations continued.

The group said the intervention made the unions to sheathe their swords and electricity was restored in the four states.

“Governor Uba Sani used tact in achieving a consensus between the management and Labour,” the group said.

“Governor Uba Sani resolved the impasse with the negotiating skills of an activist and the acumen of a businessman. As a product of Civil Society, he was pro-workers and at the same time, he gave Kaduna Electric a soft landing.

“The five days of power outage affected Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises as well as the livelihoods of the vulnerable and the underserved in the society.

“So, the Governor’s action has brought relief to the people of Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states.”

The group advised the management and labour unions of Kaduna Electric to always settle their differences without making customers bear the brunt of their disagreements.