Workers Desert Federal Secretariat Over Electricity Cut

The worsening electricity supply nationwide as a result of dwindling generation by the various plants across the country for sundry reasons, has thrown the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja into darkness after supply as cut off by the electricity distribution company.
As a result, workers deserted their offices, as most of the offices in the complex were closed Friday.
The complex which hosts such ministries, as Education, Science and Technology, Women Affairs, Sports, had no electricity supply.
Some of the workers said the blackout had been on for some weeks due to the inability of the ministries to pay their outstanding electricity bills.
They said the situation has impacted negatively on productivity, reduced office working hours and forced workers to loiter round the complex, late resumption and early closure of work.
A staff of the Ministry of Health, who gave his name simply as Tunde, described the situation as an embarrassment and urged the Federal Government to investigate and punish the persons responsible for the situation.
“It is unfortunate and an embarrassment that we have been without power supply because of non-payment of electricity bills. Meanwhile, government is the one canvassing for the payment of utility in every sector.
“The government needs to really look at this matter, investigate and prosecute whoever that is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the payment of bills,” he said.
According to him: “we cannot continue this way. No electricity to pump water for the toilets. Everywhere smells.”
Another staff in the secretariat, Umar Mohammed, said the power supply had affected the productivity of workers, as most civil servants in the secretariat are unable to work effectively.
“Most workers cannot work and put in their best as they are used to, because even though my ministry and some others had resorted to the use of generators for power supply. We do not have the money to run it throughout the working hours; it has to be within a stipulated time.”