Organized Labour yesterday shut down the headquarters of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, headquarters over the recent hike in electricity tariff.
By Dayo Johnson, Regional Editor, South-West,Victor AhiumaYoung, Demola Akinyemi, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Peter Duru, Bashir Bello, Obas Esiedesa, Marie-Therese Nanlong, James Ogunnaike, Shina Abubakar, Ibrahim Hassan, Charly Agwam & Laolu Elijah
Recall that leaders of NLC and their TUC counterparts had on May 3, 2024, written to the Minister of Power, and the Chairman/CEO, of NERC, giving them the May 12 deadline to reverse the electricity tariff increase or face industrial unrest.NERC had earlier announced a hike in electricity tariff across the nation for Band A customers from N65/kwh to N225/Kwh which attracted condemnation from many sections of the country, including Organized Labour.
“Organised labour in Nigeria is forced to the conclusion that the privatisation of the power sector in Nigeria is a colossal failure. “We are very serious about our demand that NERC and TCN reverse the recent tariff hike. The tariff is killing. ‘’The commission had earlier given deadlines for the banks to divest their shares and exit from the distribution companies because we want proper core investors sitting on these boards.”
The protesters blocked the main gate of the company and prevented staff from gaining entrance to the premises, while demanding a reversal of the tariff hike. Led by leaders of NLC and TUC in the state, the protesters blocked the entrance of the two offices and crippled their operations “We have already accomplished that of IBEDC in Leme because I must confess to you the price hike is anti-human and it is unfriendly to labour.In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, labour leaders, led by the state chairman of NLC, Kayode Martins, and the Vice Chairman of TUC, Ranti Oluwawemimo, stormed the IEDC at 9 am and disrupted its operations
TUC vice chairman in the state, Oluwawemimo, said: “They have driven us to the wall and there’s nothing left for us than to turn back and face us. They are making life difficult for us. ‘’They have almost snuffed life out of us. In a saner clime, if they want to remove subsidy on anything, their government will first put some measures in place to cushion the effects but in Nigeria, it is not so.
Among the IBEDC offices crippled by the protesters included Challenge, Babo-Oko and Ita-Alamu Amareas all within the Ilorin metropolis. ‘’We want to make it clear that NLC, TUC or rather the organized labour are saying capital no to the hike in electricity tariff. The Vice Chairman of the NLC in Kano, Awwalu Yakasai, who led the picketing, said: “We are not doing this for ourselves but for Nigerians because Nigerians are crying and not happy over the increment when there is even no stable power supply.
Igbe said the action was in compliance with the national directive of the union over the hardship faced by Nigerians due to the increase in electricity tariff.. The leadership and members of the two bodies had converged on the entrance of the main office of the JEDC where they blocked the gate and prevented staff and other visitors entrance into the building.
They chanted solidarity songs to express their displeasure over the hike in electricity tariff as they were seen with placards bearing different inscriptions. “This increase is evil because it is meant to ensure that the poor masses will continue to be poor and we the organised labor in Ebonyi State are saying no to this increase. What we are saying is that EEDC and NERC should let the poor breathe.”In Owerri, the Imo state chapter, members of NLC and their TUC counterparts, shut down the office of the EEDC and NERC.
On his part, TUC chairman, Charles Amalu, was of the view that; “The consumption of Imo State is 120 megawatts but we regret that DisCos is providing between 12 and 15 megawatts. I want to ask this question, how can we have lights with the shortage of provision of megawatts?Also in Bayelsa State, members of NLC and TUC shut down the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHEDC, and demanded the reversal of the tariff hike.
Also speaking, the Chairman of TUC, Julius Laye, said: “We are very hopeful that we have a government that is sensitive and will yield to our demands, and know the feeling of Nigerians that another tax is not the best way to go on Nigerians who are already suffering.’’In Asaba, members of the NLC and TUC picketed the office of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, in Asaba, Delta State and demanded the reversal of the hike in electricity tariff.
“We have shut down all BEDC and NERC offices in Delta, that is the offices in Asaba, Warri, Agbor, Sapele, Abraka and so on. As at yesterday, we were fully mobilised”Similarly, NLC and TUC members picketed the five offices of PHEDC and the state office of the NERC and demanded the reversal of the hike.
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