Nigeria restores power after nationwide shutdown

Nigeria's statewide blackout caused by a workers' strike over pay has been resolved.

The employees shut down the national power grid on Wednesday, leaving the most populous country in Africa in total darkness.

A 2019 deal to pay former employees of a state-owned electrical firm was to be honored, according to the electricity workers' union, which sought to compel the government to do so.

They claimed that the government ignored concerns about the welfare of its employees.

Following a meeting with the administration on Wednesday night, the employees, who are members of the National Union of Electricity Employees, ended their strike.

If their demands are not met, they've threatened to start the strike up again in two weeks.

Nigeria’s power sector (electricity generation and distribution) was fully privatized in 2013, but corruption and inefficiency have ruined any progress.

Incessant power cuts have forced many Nigerians, including entrepreneurs to rely mostly on petrol or diesel-powered generators to power their homes and businesses.