BEDC says two-day NUEE strike has cost it over ₦2bn in revenue

BEDC Electricity Plc says it has lost more than ₦2 billion in revenue in two days of strike by electricity workers, as the industrial action continues to cut supply across its franchise areas.

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) began the strike at about 2 a.m. on Monday, October 19, 2026, shutting down feeders in Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo states.

The company's Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Akinleye Ogunleye, gave the figure on Tuesday in Benin City while briefing journalists on behalf of the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr Jonathan Lawani.

Ogunleye said the shutdown had hit the company's ability to serve customers, and the losses would keep rising the longer the strike lasts.

For ordinary Nigerians in these states, that means more hours without power for homes, shops, hospitals and public offices that depend on the grid.

What the two sides say

According to BEDC, the dispute is over consequential salary adjustments after the national minimum wage, salary harmonisation and other welfare matters.

Ogunleye said management had set up a committee with the unions to look at the minimum wage adjustment, but it had not finished its work before the strike began. He said both sides had also agreed to hire an independent consultant to review the salary structure, and a consultant had been identified.

The company listed welfare steps taken since the current management came in around October 2022. It said salaries rose by between five and 70 per cent across staff categories, more than 1,000 employees were promoted between 2023 and 2025, and 833 workers got salary adjustments in the same period.

BEDC also said it spent over ₦125 million on long-service awards for 1,394 employees, paid about ₦75 million to clear exit benefits owed over roughly a decade, and raised its group life assurance provision from ₦56.35 million to ₦103.15 million.

The Edo State NUEE chairman, Comrade Uwumarogie Owenaze William, gave the union's side. He said the strike followed management's refusal to address its grievances, which include non-implementation of the minimum wage, salary harmonisation and increments, stagnation in promotions, and better welfare.

William said the union gave management enough time to act and appealed to BEDC customers to bear with the workers, saying the strike will continue until the demands are met.

What happens next

BEDC has asked the union to suspend the strike and return to the negotiating table, and apologised to customers for the disruption.

There is no word yet on when the committee on the minimum wage adjustment will report, or when talks will resume. Until then, the lights stay off for many customers in the four states.