Electricity workers threaten nationwide strike over tariff hike

Members of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government does not rescind the recently approved electricity tariff hike.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had on April 3 approved the electricity tariff for customers enjoying 20 hours of power supply daily which was raised from N66 per kilowatts-hour to N225 per kilowatt-hour.

The sudden increase has been protested in many quarters but the federal government has remained adamant with the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu insisting that there is no going back on the new tariff as subsidy on electricity has been removed.

However, the union in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja said the decision to embark on the strike action which could plunge the nation into total blackout.

NUEE argued is argued that the tariff hike portends to staff who go around collecting money from customers.

In the statement by NUEE’s Acting General Secretary, Dominic Igwebike and addressed to Adelabu, the group said if nothing was done about the withdrawal of the tariff, its members would take decisive action.

Though no date has been fixed for the commencement of the industrial action, the group said it would not hesitate to take action including the withdrawal of its members who are expected to be used by DisCos to impose the tariff hike on customers.

The statement read:

“If the government fails to address the crippling cost of electricity, NUEE will not hesitate to take strong action, including the swift withdrawal of our members expected to be used by DisCos to impose the tariff hike on the good people, to protect the livelihood of our members.

READ ALSO:Despite tarrif hike, 85% of Nigerians still enjoy electricity subsidy —Govt

“The reason why we are saying this is simple, you ask our members to go the the public to collect 20-hour tariff from people that are not even experiencing a four-hour supply of electricity. There is no way there won’t be crises between our staff and those customers.

“We’ve recorded a lot of attacks on our members, even with the present situation. And these guys have nothing to defend themselves.

“They have targets to meet where there is no supply. Our members are being threatened by the DisCos, even when they know that what they are promising Nigerians is not feasible.

“We told our members that they cannot go out and collect that kind of tariff from unmetered customers. More than 70 per cent of these Band A customers are not metered. The government is just promising what we don’t have. We are the ones working there, we know we don’t have the transformers to distribute such load. 20 hours of electricity is not possible except for those on eligible lines. We were not carried before the tariff hike.

“We just want the citizen to know that this thing is not possible, it is not feasible, you cannot give what you don’t have.

“When we don’t have the energy to give to the people and you ask our people to go out and collect such money, you know it is dangerous. Most times we don’t disclose what to do to the public because our sector is very critical to the nation.”

The union advised the government to do the needful so as to prevent them from withdrawing their services which will further bring hardship to Nigerians.

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