Electricity Tariff Hike: NLC to declare National warning strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress says it will declare a one-day national warning strike over the refusal of the Federal Government to reduce the electricity tariff.

NLC President Ayuba Wabba said this while addressing newsmen during the Central Working Committee meeting of the congress on Wednesday in Abuja.

On January 29, the NLC led the picketing of electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) nationwide, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the National Assembly.

The action, aimed at getting the Federal Government to reverse the 45 per cent tariff hike did not yield the desired result.

Wabba insisted that the tariff increase was “illegal, unfair, unjustifiable and an exploitation of the already exploited Nigerians.

“The privatisation of the power sector was done in bad faith and it has become obvious that the investors did not have the capacity to improve power generation and supply in the country.

“The CWC will agree on a day to embark on the strike, because several actions promised by the Federal Government to checkmate the tariff increment have not been implemented.”

He also noted that the current fuel scarcity in the country had brought untold hardship to workers and Nigerians as a whole.

“We must, however, make the point that spells of scarcity will not be acceptable to Labour and other Nigerians because the human and economic costs are unimaginable.

“We have been patient with this government but this persistent scarcity and suffering of our people will no longer be tolerated.”

The NLC president also frowned at the failure of the government to constitute the board of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.

He said that no individual had the right to fix the prices of petroleum products.

“We demand the constitution of the board of NNPC and PPPRA. The latter is a 26-man board vested with powers of regulating prices of petroleum products. Today, it is a one-man show.”

On the economy, Wabba noted that Nigerians were groaning under harsh economic conditions.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent steps to implement the budget.

“Government must consult more widely and come up with an enduring solution, Wabba said.”

[Punchng]