Cancel killer electricity tariff hike, we can’t be paying for darkness-NLC

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has insisted on an outright cancelation of electricity tariff hike rather than the ongoing suspension of the proposed hike negotiation going on between the leadership of the National Assembly and the Electricity Distribution Companies.

Speaking on Tuesday, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said talking about suspension of hike now is not ideal, that such proposal is unacceptable the union rather insists on total cancelation of any future hike.

He maintained that any hike not in tandem with nation’s socio-economic realities on ground is not acceptable, as Nigerians could not be paying for darkness and inefficiency on the part of the distribution companies.

Ayuba

Ayuba in a statement made available said, “As much as we are pleased with the current truce on the campaign by DISCOs to subject Nigerians to killer-electricity charges, we know that the battle is far from over.

‘’In addition to the untold hardship that the intended tariff increase by DISCOs would unleash on private citizens, the NLC is greatly distressed over the hemorrhage businesses in Nigeria would suffer in terms of productivity, jobs and livelihood if the planned tariff hike is allowed to stand.

‘’Electricity is the backbone of businesses – big manufacturing concerns and small/medium scale enterprises. Already, the inability of DISCOs and GENCOs to provide constant power is taking a huge toll on national productivity, growth, employment creation and job retention.

‘’The Organized Private Sector in Nigeria, OPSN, in a recent statement posited that electricity outages in Nigeria average ten hours per day, with the cost of self-generated electricity averaging N119 billion in 2019.

The Nigeria Labour Congress rejects any further hike in electricity tariff, pump price of petrol and other essential public utility charges. The NLC is fully ready to mobilize our people to resist attempts by anyone to impose modern-day slavery on Nigerians – be they DISCOs or regulators of public utilities.

‘’We insist that further hike in tariff and user access charges at this time of great socio-economic dislocation would be ultra-insensitive, callous and a pre-meditated attempt to send many Nigerians, workers, pensioners and businesses to untimely graves.”

“In the interest of fairness, equity and justice, we demand that the DISCOs refund Nigerians all the estimated billings that had been unjustly collected from our people all these years. We also demand that DISCOs pay consumers the cost that their inefficiency has imposed on citizens, residents and businesses.

Pre paid meters

‘’DISCOs must also repay bailout funds they had unjustly collected from public coffers. We wish to remind the DISCOs that the provision of pre-paid meters, transformers and investment in the sector are statutorily the job of the DISCOs not consumers or government.”

‘’DISCOs were fully aware of these conditions before subscribing to the power sector privatization programme. Enough of the lies, deceit and exploitation of the Nigerian people. On the strength of the open admission by DISCOs in Nigeria to their own grand incompetence and crass failure, we call on the Federal Government to immediately set in motion processes for the review of the power sector privatization.

‘’Enough is enough. The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress reiterates its resolve to act on the side and in the interest of the Nigerian people, workers and pensioners always.”

It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday agreed with the leadership of the National Assembly on the need to delay the planned hike in electricity tariffs.

The National Assembly leadership also met with the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on same on the issue and the Senate President addressed state house correspondents and said that the timing for the tariff increase was wrong, hence, the effective date has to be postponed till first quarter of next year.

In further address on the issue, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila said the reason they met with the President and the Vice President was to make sure that the two arms are together for same goal.

The speaker said, “I will like to say that we have all agreed on an increase in cost reflective tariff but the issue is that the timing is also important. Sometimes, timing is even more important than the policy decision that you make.

“We have all agreed to suspend this for a while and get the buy-in of the people, explain to the people why this has to be done, that it is for the betterment for electricity to get stable.

“They (DISCOs and GENCOs) are businessmen and cannot be undercutting themselves. I think so far so good, the President and the Vice President listened attentively and I think everybody is on the same page and hopefully, we will get some reprieve between now and whenever, but it’s not going to happen today,” he concluded.