The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Wednesday, accused the federal government of insensitivity for raising electricity tariff.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had granted approval for the increase. The new policy which kicked off on January 1, 2021, varies and is based on different consumer classes.
The NERC hinged the hike in electricity tariff on the inflation situation and the fluctuations in foreign exchange market.
The Deputy President, NLC, Joe Ajaero, faulted the NERC’s action, stating that the regulator disregarded the Festus Keyamo-led committee resposible for formulating a new electricity tariff regime by Tuesday’s announcement.
Ajaero was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme monitored by BizWatchNigeria
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He said, “There was a tariff increase by November which is being contested. A committee was set up headed by Keyamo and some of us are serving in that committee. We have not even finished addressing that issue and that adjustment was unjust and wasn’t necessary. Now, somebody is issuing a statement that there was an adjustment and it was not an increase. No matter how they play with semantics, Nigerians are noticing a lot of differences in what they are doing.
“90 per cent of Nigerians receive less than 12-hour electricity per day. All those issues of banding, band A, B, C, D, are all lies. Nigerians know more than this.
“There is an agreement with the labour on all these issues, the committee has not even submitted their report and NERC behaves as if it is from the moon and insensitive to Nigerians. This is not acceptable.”
The Congress has also threatened an unprecedented industrial resistance by Nigerian workers until the government withdraws the “uncanny New Year Gift”.
