The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday embarked on a nationwide protest over the current hike in electricity tariff by the Federal government.
News About Nigeria reports that the protest follows an earlier announcement by the organised Labour, comprising of the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC), and their affiliates, instructing members to ground offices of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) nationwide on Monday over the recent hike in electricity tariffs.
Speaking at the ongoing protest at the NERC office in Abuja, the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, lamented that the hike in the electricity tariff is an anti-people policy because it was enforced at a time when Nigerians are going through difficult times.
He further noted that Nigerians are currently living in power poverty due to the low supply of electricity, despite the high amount of money they now have to pay.
While addressing protesters and the management of the NERC, Ajaero also alleged that the current supply generated by Nigeria is not even enough for Lagos, which is just one state in the country.
He further slammed the NERC over their decision to hike tariffs without engaging with stakeholders in the power sector.
Ajaero said, “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 others. It is bad enough for you to say some Nigerians will get 20 hours while other Nigerians will get two hours.”
