The Organised Labour will convene a National Executive Council meeting ahead of the planned picketing of offices belonging to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission over the hike in electricity tariff.
The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission announced the hike in the electricity tariff for Band A customers at a press briefing in Abuja, on April 3, revealing that those affected would pay N225 per kilowatt-hour, up from the previous rate of N68/kWh, representing about 240 per cent increase.
Subsidy on electricity was withdrawn completely from the tariff of customers in the Band A category, who constituted about 15 per cent of the total 12.82 million power consumers across the country.
Based on the tariff hike, the Federal Government said it would save N1.5tn.
The government stated that the decision took effect on April 3, 2024, adding that Band A customers would enjoy up to 20 hours of power supply daily.
However, the House of Representatives, organised labour, and the Nigerian Bar Association kicked against the hike in tariff payable by about 1.9 million consumers.
The House called on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to suspend forthwith the implementation of the new electricity tariff nationwide.
But justifying the increase during an investigative hearing held by the Senate Committee on Power last Monday, the Power minister explained that there would be a nationwide blackout in the next three months if the increase in electricity tariff was not implemented.
This came after the Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, rejected the proposed tariff regime.
The entire sector will be grounded if we don’t increase the tariff. With what we have now in the next three months, the entire country will be in darkness if we don’t increase tariffs.
“The increment will catapult us to the next level. We are also Nigerians. We are also feeling the impact,’’ Adelabu asserted.
However, the NLC and TUC asked the NERC and the power sector operators to reverse the increase in electricity tariff within a week even as they expressed dissatisfaction with the epileptic power situation in the country, saying that it is affecting economic growth.
Speaking at the International Workers Day celebration in Abuja on May 1, the NLC President, Ajaero, and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, said, “It is unethical to force Nigerians to pay higher tariffs for non-existent electricity. Estimated billing is an extortion and daylight robbery against Nigerians.”
The Organised Labour had also threatened to picket NERC offices should a total reversal of tariff by the NERC is not done. The ultimatum by Labour expires on May 12, 2024.
Meanwhile, National Deputy President of the Trade Union Congress, Tommy Etim, who spoke to our correspondent, said the unions would convene a NEC meeting which is standard procedure at the end of its ultimatum.
He said, “The truth is that due process was not followed. You cannot just announce a hike like that. It is not done anywhere. They should reverse the hike and call for stakeholders’ engagement.”
When asked about what the Organised Labour would do at the expiration of the ultimatum, he said “Wait for the next line of action.”
When asked if the next line of action would be to convene a NEC meeting, Etim said, “That is the standard procedure.”
