The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly condemned any potential hike in electricity tariffs, warning the Federal Government to abandon plans to increase rates under any guise. The union threatened to mobilise mass resistance against such increases, warning that the people would not accept any form of price hikes on basic utilities such as power.
The union’s National Executive Council (NEC) made the announcement after their meeting in Yola, Adamawa State. The NLC’s statement comes amid a backdrop of growing dissatisfaction with the cost of living in the country, especially in the wake of persistent price hikes across various sectors.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) made it clear that its members strongly opposed the ongoing reclassification of electricity consumers by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The NLC described the move as a “sham,” accusing the NERC of trying to shift consumers from lower tariff bands to the higher Band A under the pretense of improving services, while in reality, it would result in unfair exploitation of the public.
“the ongoing sham reclassification of electricity consumers by the NERC, which seeks to forcefully migrate consumers from lower bands to Band A under the guise of service improvement while, in reality, imposing unjustified extortion on the masses”
The NERC, which is responsible for regulating the electricity sector in Nigeria, has been under pressure to balance the interests of the public and private companies involved in power generation and distribution. However, many Nigerians have complained that electricity tariffs are already too high for the quality of service they receive.
The last tariff hike, has remained controversial, as many Nigerians believe they are paying for electricity that is often unreliable or non-existent in their areas. The planned reclassification of consumers was seen by the NLC as a move to increase tariffs further, especially for those already struggling with high electricity costs.