- By Halimah Olamide.
The combined forces of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have on Monday shut down the operational offices of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission on Monday over hiked tariffs.
Cities of Lagos, Ibada, Kaduna, Jos, Abuja and many others have witnessed demonstrations by workers who have forced NERC officials to halt operations to register Nigerians’ displeasure over increased in cost of electricity.
Speaking at the headquarters of the NERC, President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, said Nigerians are wallowing in poverty of power.
He said, “Nigeria is down the line as one of the countries in the world that are poor in terms of power supply. While the whole world has a global index of a million people to 1000 megawatts, Nigeria has 4000MW for over 200 million people.
“What Nigeria is generating today is not enough for Lagos alone, and it is bad enough for you now to tell us that some Nigerians are bigger than others. It is bad enough for you to say some Nigerians will get 20 hours and other Nigerians will get zero hours. That magic you are using to give some people 20 hours, use it to give everybody in Nigeria 20 hours.
“NERC should stop increasing tariffs on only 4000 MW year in and year out. Nigeria cannot develop with 4,000MW. We cannot develop industrially with 4,000 MW. Some countries of the world, America and China and others are talking of over 1 million MW of electricity.
Meanwhile the TUC Osun state chairman Abimbola Fasasi, expressing his displeasure reiterated that the government must reverse its decision of the tariff increment.
“The government has to develop and improve on electricity generation and supply.
“How many megawatts is Nigeria generating? They are just pumping money into power without results and they want to heap the expenses on Nigerians.
“We are saying NO to electricity increment and additional burden on Nigerians and that is why we are here today picketing IBEDC offices.”
Fasasi expressed hope that the protest would produce outcomes within the next two to three weeks.
He added that if there is no reversal, labour unions would initiate a total strike, effectively shutting down the Nigerian economy.
Similarly, the NLC Chairman, Oyo state, Comrade Kayode Martins, while addressing the press at the premises of IBEDC, said enough is enough as Nigerians have had to cope with the backlash of economic policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
He said labour unions would no longer sit idly to watch things deteriorate further
Also speaking, Christopher Arapasopo, NLC Osun state chairman, reiterated labour’s stance that the recent electricity tariff hike by the NERC must be reversed.
“You will recall that on April 3, NERC announced increase in electricity tariff, and this is killing Nigerians and Nigerian workers say no to this,” Arapasopo said.
“We ought to enjoy power supply for at least 20 hours, but I cannot recollect the last time power was supplied to us for eight hours.
“Recently, we had the issue of fuel scarcity and again, we are battling with hike in electricity tariff. The federal government has to do the needful.”
On his part, Clement Fatuase, TUC Ondo state chairman, urged President Bola Tinubu to stop various harsh economic policies his administration had been introducing in the last one year.
Fatuase said until the government reverses the new electricity tariff hike, BEDC and other DisCos offices would remain shut down.
In the same vein, members of the NLC and TUC shut down the headquarters of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Chanting solidarity songs, the Labour Union members sealed the PHED premises on Monday morning preventing staff of the Disco from accessing their offices.
Recall that The NERC announced the hike in the electricity tariff for Band A customers at on April 3, revealing that those affected would pay N225 per kilowatt-hour, up from the previous rate of N68/kWh.