The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, in Adamawa State, on Monday, shut down the regional offices of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC, and the office of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission of Nigeria, NERC.
Emmanuel Fashe, the State NLC Chairman, who addressed members of the union at the premises of the picketed offices in Yola, said the action was to protest the exorbitant electricity tariff.
He said the tariff on Ban A has reached 300 per cent, saying the indiscriminate charges were beyond the ability and capability of Nigerians.
“Our action to picket these offices was sequel to the directive from our headquarters and it is a nationwide action,” he said.
Fashe explained that categorising power supply into different bans was equal to creating division among Nigerians, adding that it was an attempt to eliminate the middle class.
“The tariff hike was from N65 to N223, which is far above reasonable charges.
“The only services that were yet to be taxed by the federal government are the oxygen we breathe and the rainfall on our farms,” he said.
The chairman used the occasion to caution the federal government against unpopular policies that were capable of inflicting hardship on the citizens.
Also, Dauda Adamu, the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, in the state, urged the government to sustain the subsidy on the cost of social services for the affordability of Nigerians.
He attributed the rising cost of living in Nigeria to the removal of fuel subsidy, insecurity and other unpopular government policies.
“We advise the government to revert to the initial cost of the power supply as Nigerians will not be paying what they did not consume,” he said.
He warned that in the next protest, all Nigerians will be mobilized to partake, saying: “we are tired of this life of servitude.”