By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
Panic and confusion enveloped the Lokoja Area Office of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) on Tuesday when a staff member, Ibrahim Ahmed, reportedly collapsed after hearing reports of a mass sack within the company.
Ahmed, who serves in the Distribution Department, was said to have slumped after receiving information that his name might be among those penciled down for disengagement in the ongoing restructuring exercise.
Eyewitnesses said the incident happened during working hours, shortly after discussions among staff turned emotional over the alleged list of sacked employees said to have been compiled by a consulting firm.
“He looked disturbed in the morning. When he received a call suggesting his name was on the list, he held his chest and went down,” a co-worker told reporters.
“We quickly rushed him to a nearby hospital for medical attention.”
Ahmed, who is married with five children, was immediately taken to an undisclosed hospital in Lokoja, where medical personnel are said to be attending to him.
Family sources disclosed that he has been under stress since rumours of staff downsizing started spreading across the company last week.
Meanwhile, the management of AEDC Lokoja Area Office has refused to release the official list of affected staff, a move that has generated tension and uncertainty among employees.
Many workers were seen gathered in small groups, anxiously discussing who might be affected.
A senior staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the situation as “heartbreaking and demoralizing,” saying the company should have communicated more clearly to avoid panic.
“People have families and commitments. Keeping everyone in the dark is unfair,” the source added.
Labour observers and members of the public have condemned the handling of the mass sack by the consultant, describing it as inhumane and insensitive to the plight of long-serving workers.
They called on AEDC’s top management in Abuja to review the process and ensure fairness and transparency.
A labour union official also urged the Ministry of Power and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to intervene, stressing that such abrupt terminations could worsen the already tense industrial atmosphere in the electricity sector.
As of press time, efforts to get an official statement from the company’s management were unsuccessful, while colleagues and family members continue to pray for Ibrahim Ahmed’s quick recovery.
