Ajaero said, “It is clear that the main motive behind the plans for the proposed restructuring is no other than to prepare the TCN for eventual take over by the cronies and lackeys of the ruling elite.”
By Jeffrey Agbo
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has voiced its disapproval of the planned privatisation of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
In a statement on Wednesday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the planned privatisation portends great danger to the power sector and holds great fear and trepidation for major stakeholders.
The statement said: “The proposed plans by the Federal Government to restructure the Transmission Company of Nigeria as stated by the Minister of Power; Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, is laden with other intentions that may be hidden but very clear to every discerning Nigerian.
“It portends great danger to the power sector and holds great fear and trepidation for major stakeholders within the sector.
“It imperils the ability of the state to control, regulate and guarantee the safety of the nation’s grid system at all times.
“We want to quickly say that the idea behind the so-called plans to restructure is the same big grammar that was spoken before and during the failed privatisation exercise of the sector.
“They are the same stories that Nigerians have heard over the years which have largely yielded no significant results.
“It is clear that the main motive behind the plans for the proposed restructuring is no other than to prepare the TCN for eventual take over by the cronies and lackeys of the ruling elite.
“When words like unbundling are bandied about in Nigeria, the masses and workers become frightened because of the level of misery such words have foisted on the people.
“Unbundling heralded the death of the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum sector, it sounded the death knell on the power sector and raising its ugly specter once again at this time when the people are facing serious socioeconomic challenges may compound the woes of the people.
“We had thought that the President would have convened a genuine national stakeholders’ forum to critically review the privatisation exercise in the sector which the government itself agrees has failed to attain any of its major objectives rather than seeking to embark on another exercise that would bring more crisis to the power sector.
“The disaster that will befall the nation’s power sector would be multidimensional.
“The quest to ultimately handover the Transmission infrastructure would expose the nation to blackmails and weaken the ability of the sector to transmit and distribute power around the country.
“Privatizing it will create the same crisis prevailing within the DISCOs and GENCOs and will impact the quality-of-service deliverance by the Power sector to Nigerians.
“It has to be remembered that we protested against a nation that was hell bent on committing suicide in the power sector 10 years ago.
“We talked about the consequences that privatisation exercise was going to be for the power sector and for Nigerians but it was not heeded.”