New Electricity Tariff Capable Of Destroying Nation’s Economy – NLC
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), in Kebbi State has declared that the quadruple increase in electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), is capable of destroying the economic prosperity of the nation.
The Chairman of the NLC in the State, Comrade Murtala Usman, who stated this when the leadership of the Congress and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) picketed the offices of the Kaduna Electric Distribution Company (KAEDCO), and the NERC in Birnin Kebbi, stressed that the increase in electricity tariff has negative multiple dimensions.
The NLC leader said that workers deemed it proper to peacefully picket the offices of KAEDCO and NERC for some hours in order to send signals to the government and the authorities concerned to rescind the decision, adding that failure to rescind the decision would lead the organised labour to chart the next course of action.
In the words of Usman; “Manufacturers will increase prices of goods, transport fares will skyrocket, welders and other end users of electricity will be thrown out of business while many Nigerians will languish in darkness because of inability to pay the increase”.
The NLC further said, there was no nation in the world which does not subsidize electricity and petrol, adding that Nigeria is an oil producing country just as it is not an importer of electricity which is generated locally.
Usman further said; “God has endowed us with these resources in abundance and these are the rights of the citizens”.
The NLC chairman reminded the government that petrol and electricity were being generated by public funds and should be made accessible to the citizenry at a cheaper and affordable rate for the good of the people.
Commenting on the proposed N615,000 minimum wage, Usman said the NLC and TUC considered many variables before arriving at the figure particularly against the backdrop of the hyper-inflation in the country.
