NLC to Buhari: declare state of emergency in power sector

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the power sector and take steps to halt the drift and exploitation of electricity consumers.

The workers berated electricity distribution companies (DisCos) for their continued imposition of estimated billing on their customers.

Its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke with The Nation, also sought the reversal of privatisation in the sector.

He said: “We decried the continuous exploitation of electricity consumer by DisCos through estimated billing.

“We call on the government to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria’s power sector and take necessary steps to arrest the situation, ordering the reversal of the privatisation exercise in the power sector.

“I also condemn the continued refusal by many DisCos to supply prepaid meters to electricity consumers, describing the use of estimated billing as daylight robbery of poor workers and citizens.”

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Ayuba re-affirmed the commitment of the Congress to picket the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for failing in its regulatory duty and the DisCos for refusing to obey Nigeria’s laws and court processes against estimated billings.

The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEC) had called for a review and sanction of violators of electricity privatisation.

Its President-General, Comrade Chris Okonkwo spoke in Enugu at its delegates conference.

Okonkwo said the position of the association was that there should be a review of privatisation because they were given contracts, but they did not abide by their terms.

He urged the Federal Government to review the document on power privatisation to see if it had been violated, sanction defaulters and reward those who had not.