Several Lagos residents have been stranded at Murtala Mohammed Airport on Monday due to a strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
On Sunday, the Lagos chapters of the NLC and TUC held a joint press briefing in Ikeja, led by their chairmen, Comrade Funmi Sessi and Comrade Gbenga Ekundayo. They announced a total shutdown of schools, government offices, airspace, electricity, and water.
Although the national shutdown and strike are intended to address important issues, many people have been left without fuel for transportation and are stuck in Lagos while trying to travel out.
Eshi Anani, a Nigerian chef, had a flight scheduled for 6:30 a.m. at Murtala Mohammed Airport. She was shocked to find the road from Anthony Way to the airport blocked.
“I had to take a bike from Ikeja bridge to the airport, which cost me N5,000. Only to get to the airport and find the gates locked with a crowd outside,” Anani told The Record.
Power Outage and School Closures in Lagos
Ikeja Electric, a power distribution company in Lagos, confirmed that the blackout in the state is due to the strike.
“Please be informed that the current service disruption is due to ongoing strike action by organised labour, and as such, there will be limited access to our call centre helplines,” read a statement from their official X account.
Several public schools in Lagos are also closed in compliance with the industrial action.
According to Channels Television, workers at the Lagos state secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, are locked out of their offices, and business activities are at a standstill.