Management of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KADEDO) has announced that it will restore electricity to the states of, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi.
Gatekeepers News reports that KADEDO in a statement on Saturday, noted that the resolution followed a crisis meeting convened by Uba Sani, Governor of Kaduna, on Friday at his office.
Kaduna State Council of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) embarked on an indefinite strike on 3 January over the alleged dismissal of 900 staff members from the distribution company (DisCo).
Subsequently, Abdulhazeez Abdullahi, KAEDCO spokesperson denied the claim in a statement on 4 January, clarifying that only 450 employees were affected by the downsizing.
The industrial action had left the four states in darkness for nearly a week.
Hadiza Balarabe, deputy Governor of Kaduna on 6 January, appealed to the DisCo and the workers to resolve their dispute and restore electricity to the state.
Updating the public at the end of the meeting, Kaduna DisCo said that the Governor assured both parties of fairness and pledged to act as a guarantor in ensuring a just resolution to the dispute.
The statement reads, “The Unions praised the Governor for his intervention. They also commended the Management, ably led by Dr Hashidu, for moving Kaduna Electric forward.”
KAEDCO said the unions acknowledged the challenging economic conditions affecting
Kaduna Electric’s operations and pledged their support to help the company succeed.
The DisCo said both the management and labour unions recognised that the dispute resulted from a communication breakdown and agreed that a give-and-take approach was necessary to reach an amicable settlement.
The resolution was signed by Umar Abubakar Hashidu, managing director of the electricity company; Wisdom Nwachukwu, vice-president (distribution) of the NUEE; and Rilwanu Shehu, deputy president (north) of the senior staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC).
Other union members that signed the resolution include Muhammed Musa, deputy president (north) of NUEE; Haruna Ahmed Tinau, deputy secretary general (north); and Idris Ahmed Idris, managing director of Kaduna Power Supply Company.
