Soldiers take over power stations nationwide

ARMED soldiers, yesterday, took over most of the nation’s power stations, including Egbin Power Station, as Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, workers threatened to withdraw their services.
This came as the State Security Service, SSS, invited the President and General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, umbrella body for one of two unions in the sector, Comrades Mansur Musa and Joe Ajaero, respectively to Abuja for a chat today.
Meanwhile, a statement, yesterday, by the Power Ministry said soldiers would be deployed any moment from now to join policemen in guarding PHCN facilities across the nation.

Vanguard gathered that at Sapele and some other stations, there were clashes between workers and the armed soldiers.
The military takeover may not be unconnected with the controversy trailing reported physical due diligence being conducted on the power stations and installations by Dangote and 134 other power firms.
However, organised labour in the sector had dismissed the report and declared that there was no due diligence on the power stations.
Some of the power stations and distributions taken over by the soldiers are Sapele; Olorunsogbo in Ondo State; NCC Osogbo; Egbin; transmission stations in Gombe, Bauchi State; Ikeja West in Lagos; Ganmo in Ilorin; Birni Kebbi; Mando in Kaduna; Kano; Ayede in Ibadan and distribution stations in Doka; Gwiwa in Sokoto State; Osogbo in Osun State amongst numerous others.
Soldiers to assist police
The deployment, according to informed sources, is sequel to recent advice by the intelligence community to the Nigerian government to enhance security at “critical infrastructural facilities in Nigeria” as a result of the threat to national security by the extremist Islamic sect popularly known as Boko Haram, which wants the introduction of Sharia law all over Nigeria and regards western education as forbidden.
Troops from the Army, Navy and Air Force are to guard especially PHCN’s transmission and generation facilities, revealed sources in the office of the National security Adviser, General Andrew Aziza (rtd), himself a former Director of Military Intelligence and Chief of Army Staff.
Source