Electricity workers criticize Atiku’s plan to privatize national assets

Workers under the aegis of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have criticized the blueprint of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, describing it as selfish.

This was contained in a statement entitled “Three Point Agenda Dead on Arrival,” issued on Sunday by General Secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero.

The workers alleged that Atiku’s power sector agenda is aimed at continuing the appropriation of national assets to cronies.

The workers also stated that they were warning Nigerians about the motives of the PDP candidate, who, they claimed, seemed to want to finish what was left of Nigeria’s common patrimony while serving as vice president under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

The statement claimed that Atiku’s three-point program, which included privatizing refineries, rail, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), as well as breaking the monopoly on all other infrastructure activities, was self-serving and should be opposed by well-intentioned Nigerians.

Read also: 2023: Okowa, Wike obvious options, but should Atiku opt for ‘dark horse’ as running mate?

The statement reads in part: “It is with a deep sense of patriotism that we inform Nigerians about the present motive of the PDP presidential candidate, who seems to want to finish what is left of our common patrimony as a nation.

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was chairman of the National Council on Privatization, NCP, a government committee entrusted with the responsibility of managing the privatization programme initiated by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration to handle the disposal of public enterprises.

“Some persons have been alleged of literally buying almost every enterprise on offer through their cronies and fronts. Of the over 60 enterprises privatised when he became NCP chairman in 1999, how many of them are functioning optimally?

“From the Osogbo Steel rolling mill, which has become a glorified warehouse to the abysmal performances of the privatised Generation Companies (GenCos) and Distribution Companies, DisCos, over eight years after privatization.

“From 17 of the 18 ompanies sold in the power sector, none is yet to break even, while the Federal Government has pumped in about N2 trillion as subvention to these privately owned companies.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s shaky national energy grid has crashed once more, leaving numerous towns in the dark, including the federal capital Abuja.

Late Sunday, power companies stated that the outage began shortly before 7 p.m.

It’s the sixth reported collapse in 2022, while some speculate that the number could be higher.

The administration attributes the recurring breakdowns to inadequate management and a lack of gas supplies.

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