Union says it will not relent on electricity tariff agitation

chika ebuzor

February 9, 2016 4:11 AM

The Chairman of NLC, Sokoto state chapter, Mr Aminu Muhammad stated this during the nationwide peaceful protest against the 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff which took effect from Feb. 1.

NLC President Ayuba Wabba.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said on Monday that it would not relent in its agitation for a reverse of the increase in electricity tariff until government listened and acted.

The Chairman of NLC, Sokoto state chapter, Mr Aminu Muhammad stated this during the nationwide peaceful protest against the 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff which took effect from Feb. 1.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the protest by the organised labour and civil society organisations took place across the country.

Muhammad who led officials of the union to picket the office of the Kaduna Electric Company, said the organised labour would do all things within the confine of the law to ensure their demands were met.

"We are out to conduct a peaceful protest and ensure we picket all the electricity offices across Sokoto to send the message from the masses to the government.

"This picketing organised by NLC became necessary to ensure that the present administration withdraws the exploitative tariff.

"The labour congress will ensure it passes the message to the government, to ensure that the tariff increase is withdrawn,’’ he said.

NAN reports that members of NLC locked the premises of Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom

The Akwa Ibom state Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Akamba Awah, said TUC and NLC believed that there was no rationale behind the increase.

The union leader argued that there was no reason for the hike, adding that the state has Ibom Power Plant producing gas for electricity.

According to him, electricity is subsidised in Akwa Ibom by the state government.

Reacting in a telephone interview, the Public Relations Officer to PHEDC, Mr John Onyi, said that the company had invited labour for a meeting.

He said that as soon as the issue was resolved at the headquarters, all the state offices of the organisation would resume work immediately.

In Ado-Ekiti, NLC and TUC members also picketed the state headquarters of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, (BEDC) over the issue.

The workers who were chanting anti-government songs, carried placards containing various anti-government inscriptions throughout the 30 minutes period the protest lasted.

NAN reports that the protesters vacated the area on sighting the police and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The protest also took place in Makurdi with union leaders assuring that they would vehemently resist the increased electricity tariff in the country.

chika ebuzor