NUEE Shuts Down BEDC Facilities, Cuts Power in Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti

Electricity supply was disrupted in Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states on Monday after workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) shut down facilities operated by BEDC Electricity Plc. The industrial action followed disagreements over workers' salaries, emoluments and welfare packages.

Union officials reportedly blocked employees from entering BEDC's headquarters in Benin City, Edo State, and shut down key operational facilities. The disruption began in the early hours of Monday, October 19, 2026, forcing some workers to leave their offices before the usual closing time as the dispute escalated.

Distribution hit across four states

Operations across BEDC's franchise areas were affected by the shutdown. The extent and duration of the disruption were not immediately established.

A senior staff member of BEDC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed surprise at the decision to shut down the company's facilities, saying the current management had recently reviewed workers' emoluments.

"We are surprised at their action. Some of them even harassed some of our staff trying to record their actions. The current management recently reviewed their emoluments. I am surprised that they shut down facilities of the company," the staff member said.

The employee also alleged that some union members harassed colleagues who attempted to document the protest.

Management and union in talks

As of the time of filing the report, BEDC management was holding discussions with NUEE leaders in an effort to resolve the disagreement and restore normal operations. It was unclear whether the meeting would immediately lead to the reopening of the affected facilities and the restoration of electricity supply to customers in the four states.

The Acting Edo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Bernard Egwakide, confirmed that the congress had previously intervened in the dispute between the electricity company and its workers.

Egwakide said the NUEE leadership was meeting with BEDC management to find a resolution, adding that the outcome would determine whether the NLC would step in again.

"But right now, the leadership of NUEE is in a meeting with the management of the company. Let us see how far they can resolve it; that will determine if we will intervene," he said.

Attempts to obtain comments from the Edo State Chairman of NUEE, Williams Uwumarogie, were unsuccessful, as several calls to his phone went unanswered.

What it means for the four states

The immediate priority remains resolving the disagreement between the union and BEDC management to minimise further disruption to electricity distribution and prevent prolonged inconvenience for residents and businesses across the affected states. Every extra hour of outage raises running costs for small businesses that depend on generators and adds to the pressure on households already paying more for fuel.