Buhari sacks AEDC management

President Muhammadu Buhari fired the management of the Abuja electricity distribution company AEDC over Monday’s staff strike.

A statement from the office of the State Energy Minister Goddy Jeddy-Agba in Abuja on Tuesday said the dismissal was handed over by the presidency to the Federal Energy Ministry and will take effect immediately.

The statement said a new interim board of directors had been appointed to oversee the distribution company’s day-to-day operations.

He said: “As a result of the recent strike by its staff for non-payment of arrears of pensions, allowances, salaries and promotions.

“The Minister of Power, Mr Aliyu Abubakar, and the Minister of State Power, Goddy Jedy Agba, had previously intervened through dialogue with the Ministry of Labor.

“The Public Enterprises Bureau and the Nigerian Electricity Employees Union, NUEE, to resolve and suspend the 14-hour strike.”

The statement recalled that the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and parts of Edo were in a total blackout between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday after the strike.

He said the transmitted presidential directives had also directed the Office of Public Enterprises to establish a new management team for the AEDC.

“However, in an MOU memorandum of understanding, jointly signed by the minister of state power Goddy Jedy Agba, the chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC, Sanusi Garba.

“The Director-General of the Office of Public Companies, Alex Okoli, Joe Ajaero representing the union.

“The Federal Government has ordered the suspension of the strike, given a period of 21 days within which the pending emoluments and the rights of the personnel will be paid.

“The government has described the non-compliance and incompetence of the AEDC as a national shame, saying that the suspension of the management team subsists until further notice,” he said.