The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a stern warning to the management of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), urging them to reverse the current electricity tariff or face the consequences.
On Thursday, members of organised labour voiced their intention to close down all offices should NERC fail to comply with their demands. Furthermore, they admonished the commission to cease its segregation of electricity consumers, calling such practices as discriminatory.
These directives were conveyed in a letter addressed to the Chairman of NERC, which was also sent to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha; the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; and all Distribution Companies (DisCos).
The letter read, “This is to refer you to our May Day address where we expressed grave concerns regarding the recent announcement of an astronomical hike in electricity tariff across the nation from N65/kWh to N225/Kwh by your Commission.
“We believe that this decision is not just morally reprehensible considering the difficulties Nigerians are faced with currently, but it blatantly disregards fundamental principles and statutory obligations.
“It is a slap in the face of justice and fairness, and we will not stand idly by as the masses and workers are subjected to such unacceptable exploitation….
“It is our duty to defend the rights of our fellow citizens against exploitation. Therefore, we issue the following demands: An immediate reversal of the hike in electricity tariff to N65/kWh.
“Immediate cessation of the discriminatory practice of segregating electricity consumers into arbitrary bands.
“Restoration of the supremacy of the statutes governing the conduct of operators within the electricity industry. We give you until Sunday, the 12th day of May 2024, to comply.
“Failure to do it will result in swift and decisive action on our part as we will not hesitate to mobilize our members and occupy all NERC’s offices and those of the DISCOs nationwide until justice is served. Kindly accept the assurance of our high regards!”