Both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have called for the immediate reversal of the electricity sector privatisation, claiming it was a failure.
During a protest in Abeokuta on Monday, organized labor voiced the call in opposition to the federal government’s decision to raise electricity tariffs and eliminate subsidies for the power sector.
The NLC and TUC reportedly barricaded the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) office in Abeokuta’s Leme neighborhood during the protest, according to the DAILY POST.
Ogun State TUC chairman Akeem Lasisi scolded the Nigerian electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) for increasing electricity rates without consulting with organized labor or other interested parties, in an address to journalists.
The news that the NERC has raised the energy rate to N225/kW/h without informing key players in the power sector was a rude awakening for us.
Workers are the ones who bear the brunt of this rise, as our earnings have remained flat, thus we reject this entirely. We have seen no change in our own salaries despite the fact that the cost of living across the board has increased, including tuition, the value of the currency, and the cost of goods and services.
DISCOs should not be bold enough to raise power rates if they are unable to provide prepaid meters to all of their customers. That is why we are arguing for an immediate end to the privatization program.
NERC’s priorities should lie more with controlling DISCOs and less with raising electricity tariffs. We are expressing the opinion that Nigerians ought not to be cheated. “Enough is enough, we reject this totally,” Lasisi added, demanding that the policy be halted and that Nigerians be allowed to breathe.
Aside from that, Hameed Benco, the state’s NLC chairman, spoke out and asked President Bola Tinubu to convince NERC to roll back the power pricing increase.