Labour threatens showdown over new electricity tariff

Organised Labour on Friday cautioned the federal government against implementing the new electricity tariff, to avoid industrial crisis in the country.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Electricity Consumer Protection Forum gave the warning at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos.

Ayuba Wabba, NLC president, said that labour would mobilse workers and civil society groups to protest and picket all the electricity distribution companies should the federal government implement the tariff as scheduled on February 1.

Wabba described the 40 to 45 per cent increase as exploitative and illegal, and urged Nigerians to reject it.

“We reject the tariff increase, based on the fact that due process was not followed according to the law. Organised labour and civil society groups were not consulted,” he said.

“There has also not been a significant improvement in the power supply situation since it was privatized.”

He also said DISCOs had promised to provide pre-paid meters for its consumers within 18 months, but had not met the expectations of the people.

“The DISCOs promised to give Nigerians meters in 18 months, but they failed. This is corruption and it is ripping Nigerians off their money,” he said.

Wabba said the increase in electricity tariff was not right because there was already a court injunction before Muhammed Idris, a justice of the federal high court, Lagos.

According to him, the case is between Toluwani Yemi-Adebiyi, a lawyer, versus the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and others, that there will be no increment until the determination of the substantive suit.

“The increment negates the present biting and prevailing economic situation and will further impoverish the people,” Wabba said.

He urged the government to halt the implementation of the new tariff, as well as audit the DISCOs since they have fully paid the privatisation money.

Also speaking, Bobboi Kaigama, TUC President, urged NERC not to implement the new tariff until there was a substantive improvement in the electricity supply situation.

“If by February 1, the federal government implements the policy, we will shut down all DISCOs. There should be an increase indicated in service delivery, before the proposed new tariff,” he said.

In his remarks, Adeola Samuel-Ilori, the coordinator, Consumer Protection Forum, said the organisation had engaged distribution companies several times on the issue of estimated billing without result.

Samuel-Ilori said it was regrettable that estimated billing was passed by the national assembly and it had become statutory.

He, however, said that if the DISCOs were able to meter all Nigerians within the 18 months gestation period, the problem of estimated billing would have been solved.

Yemi-Adebiyi, who represented consumers at the meeting, said unless Nigerians were provided with meters within the 18 months’ time frame, any increase would be illegal.

He said anybody that circumvents the court order would be jailed.