From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Members of the Organised Labour, civil society organisations, and concerned Nigerians picketed the headquarters of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), in Abuja on Monday, demanding a reversal of the recent electricity tariff hike.
The demonstration was a response to NERC’s approval for electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to increase the tariff from N65/kWh to N225/kWh for all Band A customers.
Led by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, the protesters gathered at the Commission’s premises as early as 8:00 am, blocking entry for workers.
They chanted solidarity songs and carried placards with messages such as #WeAreNotAGeneratorRepublic, #EnoughOfTheExcusesGiveUsLight, and #LetThePoorBreatheGiveUsAffordableAndConstantPower, among others.
Addressing the crowd, Ajaero criticized the management of NERC, stating that Nigerians are currently suffering from what he termed “power poverty” due to the extremely low electricity supply.
The NLC President said that the current electricity supply in Nigeria is insufficient even for Lagos alone, adding that NERC’s decision to raise tariffs without consulting stakeholders in the power sector was flawed.
He said: “We are here on a peaceful protest, having written so many letters to NERC to remind them that they cannot increase tariffs without meeting with Nigerians. We reminded them that the process of increasing tariffs requires that they meet with all stakeholders, including labour.
“We do not know where this current tariff is coming from. NERC is not oblivious to the fact that Nigeria is wallowing in lower poverty. Nigeria is down the line as one of the countries in the world that are poor in terms of power supply.
“What Nigeria is generating Today is not enough for Lagos alone and it is bad enough for you now to tell us that some Nigerians are bigger than the others. It is bad enough for you to say some Nigerians will get 20 hours while other Nigerians will get two hours.”
Addressing the visibly upset protesters, NERC Chairman, Sanusi Garba, assured that the commission would reassess some of the demands presented by the organised labour.
Garba mentioned that the newly constructed Zungeru power plant is operational, producing more than 600 megawatts of electricity. He further stated that the Commission is actively focusing on increasing solar power generation to facilitate a reduction in tariffs in the near future.
He said: ” We have taken note of all you have said, particularly about the affordability of tariffs. We have listened to you and the concerns of Nigerians.
“We also noted clearly what comrade Ajaero said about energy sources, and I would like to say that the new Zungeru power plant is already online, generating over 600 megawatts. we are also working hard to ramp up solar generation in such a way that tariff will start to come down.
“Comrade Ajaero also made remarks about banks sitting on the boards of distribution companies. The NERC had earlier given deadlines to all the banks to exit from the boards of distribution companies because we want proper investors on the boards of these companies.
“We have noted your concerns and we will go back to the drawing board.”
However, the protesters vehemently expressed their dissatisfaction, shouting that they were not in favor of “going back to the drawing board,” but instead demanded a complete reversal of the tariff increase. Their chants of “No, No, reverse the hike, we demand total reversal of electricity tariff hike!!!” echoed their strong stance on the issue.