The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have protested the recent increase in electricity tariff by the Federal Government.
The labour unions on Monday morning converged at the entrance of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (Jos Disco) covering the four franchise states – Bauchi, Benue, Plateau, and Gombe.
The organised labour unions also shut down the offices of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The workers took to the streets over the ration of power supply among Nigerians and the N206.80kWh for Band A consumers, coupled with the poor power supply.
NLC Chairman in Bauchi State, Comrade Dauda Shuaibu said that the Union’s SWC held a meeting in Abuja on 30th April and wrote to the Discos to make an immediate reversal of the new tariff.
“Also, the joint NEC of the NLC and TUC wrote the same to them to reverse and we issued a letter of which we are expecting them to reverse. Their failure to reverse it is the result of what we are implementing here this morning and across the nation.
“We have received reliable information that the Jedco office in Yelwa is selling units, we are going there to stop that.”
Also speaking, the State Chairman of TUC, Comrade Sabiu Barau Ningi, said: “It’s a clarion call for all of us to stand resolutely. We have started this struggle and there is no going back until the new tariff of electricity is reversed.
“We know how we are suffering and everyone knows that Nigerians are facing hard times. Even with the increase, the supply is not there. Therefore we are calling on the Federal Government to immediately reverse it. Otherwise there is no going back, we will shut down the whole electricity supply system in this country,” he said.
The union members were seen holding placards with inscriptions like: “NLC/TUC Says No To Exploitation”, “No Segregation in Power Supply”, “No More Band A, B or even Z”.