The federal government’s recent increase in the price of power has been met with opposition from Bayelsa State’s organized labour unions.
Picketing the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) in Yenagoa on Monday was an outward manifestation of the anger and frustration felt by the Nigeria Labour Union (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the price increase.
The chairman of the Bayelsa National Liberation Congress (NLC), Comrade Simon Barnabas, has called on the government to end the increase and ensure that all Nigerians have access to reliable electricity.
He lamented the fact that people continued to experience power outages even after the tariff was raised.
With today’s protest, we are sending a message to the government that we will not tolerate a tariff increase, he stated.
“To make our disapproval of this policy known, the national centers of the NLC and TUC instructed us to organize a united action in Bayelsa State.
The labor leadership is worried about the welfare of our workers, so we are requesting that the authorities reverse their decision immediately.
It is our sincere wish that this will cause the government to reconsider its position.
“However, as the problem of an epileptic power supply must be resolved, we are left with no choice but to resort to confrontation in situations where none exists.”
Adding to this, Comrade Julius Laye, Chairman of the Bayelsa TUC, stated that the current situation in Nigeria does not call for the introduction of a new tax.
A spike in the energy bill, he argued, would only make matters worse for Nigerians who were already struggling to afford the country’s skyrocketing gas and diesel prices.
He thinks the government of President Bola Tinubu ought to listen to the people and give them a break.