Electricity tariff hike: NLC kicks, says FG insensitive

January 6, 2021

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The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Wednesday, says the Federal Government is sensitive to the plight of Nigerians by increasing the electricity tariff payable by power consumers across the country.

Recall an earlier report that approval for the hike in tariff was given by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, as the increase which varies, based on different consumer classes, took effect from January 1, 2021.

The regulatory agency blamed N2 to N4 adjustment in tariff on inflation and movement in foreign exchange rates.

Reacting, Deputy President, NLC, Joe Ajaero, said NERC disregarded the committee working on the new electricity tariff regime by the announcement on Tuesday.

Ajaero, who is also a member of the committee headed by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, said the committee was yet to submit its report before the NERC action.

He said, “There was a tariff increase by November which is being contested. A committee was set up headed by Keyamo and some of us are serving in that committee. We have not even finished addressing that issue and that adjustment was unjust and wasn’t necessary. Now, somebody is issuing a statement that there was an adjustment and it was not an increase. No matter how they play with semantics, Nigerians are noticing a lot of differences in what they are doing.

“90 per cent of Nigerians receive less than 12-hour electricity per day. All those issues of banding, band A, B, C, D, are all lies. Nigerians know more than this.

“There is an agreement with the labour on all these issues, the committee has not even submitted their report and NERC behaves as if it is from the moon and insensitive to Nigerians. This is not acceptable.”

The Congress has also threatened an unprecedented industrial resistance by Nigerian workers until the government withdraws the “uncanny New Year Gift”.