Femi Adi/Kaduna
Student of University of Ibadan Protest against poor electricity supply.
The Kaduna Chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and labour union members in the state on Monday insisted that the electricity distribution companies across Nigeria must reduce tariff and provide adequate electricity before charging high prices.
The labour unions who joined their counterparts across the country to protest against the 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, expressed worry that Nigerians are paying for electricity not supplied.
The members of the labour unions as early as 7 a.m. stormed the zonal headquarters of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company(KEDCO) and locked the gate.
The labour union members, who chanted solidarity songs in between speeches, vowed to continue the protest until the federal government reverses the tariff increase which came into effect on Monday, 1 February.
The former deputy president of the NLC, Issa Aremu, who led the labour unions in the state to picket the Kaduna electricity distribution company, said it became necessary after all efforts to make the federal government to shelve the idea of the increment failed.
According to him, Nigerians are paying more than the electricity they consume, and wondered why the federal government should increase tariff when the supply has not improved.
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently revisit the report of the 2014 national conference and implement the holistic recommendations for the power sector instead of allowing the same unhelpful posting of high tariff by underperforming generating and distribution companies.
The labour unions also want the president to urgently review the privatization contracts between the federal government and GenCos and DisCos and give them a two-year time-frame to stabilize …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
