President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, who both spoke with Nigerian Tribune, said the nationwide protest against electricity tariff would go on today as scheduled.
They both insisted that the move by the Federal Government to intervene and stop the protest was already belated, adding that the meeting called at the instance of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, could only come up after today’s action.
The Minister of Labour had intervened at the weekend and said a meeting had been scheduled between Labour, electricity distribution companies and NERC over the contentious issue.
Deputy Director, Press Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, said in a statement that the minister had scheduled a reconciliatory meeting with the NLC and electricity distribution companies to resolve the matter.
“We have gotten their letter and have invited them for discussions, including Electricity Distributions Companies and NERC,” he said in the statement, quoting the minister.
But Comrade Kaigama said: “It is belated, we are not yielding to that, we are going ahead with our plans. You media men should come out today. It is 7.00 a.m. and the take-up point is the Labour House in Abuja.
Also, Comrade Wabba said: “I think it is belated. The rally will go on, we spoke with him, but we resolved that anything that will come up will only be after the protest on Monday.”
He explained that all their state councils and affiliates, as well as civil society allies, had been well mobilised for today’s protest and nothing can stop it.
He pointed out that already, the National Executive Council had taken a decision to reject the tariff increase, which is so outrageous, adding that in some areas, the increase was more than 50 per cent.
He added: “Nigerians are frustrated, they are already protesting and, therefore, Labour as an organisation that speaks on behalf of the downtrodden will also provide the patform for people to ventilate their anger and make their position very known and clear to government. So, we will mobilise all Nigerians to resist the new tariff.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all Electricity Distribution Companies across the country have been slammed with contempt charges over the implementation of the new electricity tariff, despite a subsisting court order halting the incease.
It will be recalled that Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos, had on May 28, 2015, directed NERC to suspend all actions relating to any increment in electricity tariff pending the hearing and final determination of a suit.
Despite the subsisting court’s order, NERC, in conjunction with the Electricity Distribution Companies, commenced the implementation of the new electricity tariff on February 1, 2016.
Copies of Form 48, which is a notice of consequence of disobedience of the court’s order, have been served on the alleged contemners.
The application is expected to be heard on February 11 by Justice Idris.
Toluwani Yemi Adebiyi, in the substantive suit, is seeking an order restraining NERC from implementing any upward review of electricity tariff without a meaningful and significant improvement in power supply at least for 18 hours in a day in most communities in Nigeria.
He also wants an order restraining NERC from foisting compulsory service charge on pre-paid meters not until the meters are designed to read charges per second of consumption and not a flat rate of service not rendered or power not used.
He also wants the service charge on pre-paid meters not to be enforced until there is visible efficient and reliable power supply like those of foreign countries where the idea of service charge was borrowed.
Adebiyi is further asking for an order of court mandating the NERC to do the needful and generate more power to meet the electricity use of Nigerians, adding that the needful should include and not limited to a multiple longterm financing approach, sourced from the banks, capital market, insurance and other sectors of finance to power the sector.
Finally, the lawyer is asking the court to mandate the NERC to make available to all Nigerians within a reasonable time of maximum of two years, prepaid meters as a way to stop the throat-cutting indiscriminate estimated bill and which must be devoid of the arbitrary service charge, but only chargeable on power consumed.
In a related development, the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has said it was in full support of the planned picketing by Labour and civil society allies of all offices of the electricity distribution companies (DISCOS) nationwide today.
This was contained in a press statement issued to newsmen in Kaduna, on Sunday and signed by the Secretary-General of the Textiles Union, Comrade Issa Aremu.
The statement, therefore, implored its members to join in the planned protest organised by the Labour congress.
“The protest was in order, as the electricity companies unilaterally and unlawfully hike in electricity tariff,” it added.
Also, the Labour unions under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) will shut down Lagos today to protest the recently upward review in electricity tariff.
The NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba had directed all state affiliates of NLC to shut down the discos within their constituencies.
Wabba stated: “It is a nation-wide protest, meaning that the 36 states of the federation, including Abuja, will be involved in this action. Our members have been sufficiently mobilised and are ready to go. If you are an electricity consumer and you are not happy with the bills electricity companies serve you every month, you are invited to join this protest rally.”
However, the Association of Nigeria Electricity Distributors appealed to Labour shelve the planned nationwide protest.
In a statement by the association, it stated that “we are appealing to organised Labour and fellow compatriots, to please, join hands with the Federal Government and the power sector operators, as we continue to work to improve the supply of electricity in the country.”
Source:Tribune
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