The Borno State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Civil Society of Organisation (CLO) have Monday said that the recent increase of 45 per cent in electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) was unfair, illegal, unjustifiable and will further exploit Nigerians.
The state Chairman of NLC, Comrade Ali Abana, while addressing the management of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), in Maiduguri, after a “peaceful street protest” said that the Nigerian workers have rejected the electricity tariff for five reasons, including lack of due process to implement such hikes.
He said: “Congress therefore rejects the increase on the following grounds: First, due process in the extant for such increment was not followed in consonance with section 76 of the Power Sector Reforms.There has been no significant improvement in the service delivery of DISCOS.
“Most consumers are not metered in line with the signed privatization Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of November 1, 2013, which stipulates that within 18 months gestation period; all consumers are to be metered” he added.
He however stated that there was a subsisting court order of May 28, 2015 by Justice Mohammed Idriss of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos in the case of Toluwani Yemi Adebiyi versus NERC and others. Abana also feared that the power consumption hikes, may compound the country’s economic recession, as revenues from oil sales has plunged by 50 per cent this year.
He said the protest was to drive home the fact that the unilateral and unlawful hikes of electricity tariff will be resisted by consumers under the auspices of NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and CLO.
He therefore, called on individuals and groups to support the civil action in clamoring for a reversal of electricity tariff increase.
