Electricity workers in Nigeria on Wednesday lauched an indefinite strike over wages, a day ahead of a major speech by President Goodluck Jonathan on reforming the ailing power sector. 'We began the indefinite strike today in protest against government failure to pay the 150 percent salary increase and arrears,' a senior official of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) told selfnews on condition of anonymity. 'We expect that all our 40,000 workers across the country will down tools as from today and resume work only after our demand has been met,' he said. Jonathan is expected on Thursday in Lagos to present to the electricity-starved nation his administration's roadmap for power reforms. Earlier this month, Jonathan pledged a 3.5-billion-dollar (2.8-billion-euro) electricity grid for Nigeria. Jonathan has made improved access to power a key goal in a country where electricity outages are a daily occurrence despite its huge oil resources. The government also wants to privatise parts of the power supply chain. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and the world's eighth-largest oil exporter, but has long been held back by corruption. The government has been unable to provide adequate basic services, including electricity. Decrepit infrastructure has harmed power distribution and the poor state of the country's refineries has led Nigeria to import fuel despite its wealth of oil and gas. The country of 150 million people produces around 3,000 megawatts of electricity. South Africa, a country with one-third the number of people, produces more than 43,000 megawatts. 