‘Shameful,’ NLC knocks power ministry, NERC over proposed N8bn for electricity bill sensitisation
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its disapproval of the move by the government to use N8 billion for the sensitisation of consumers on payment of electricity bills.
The union, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said it was the height of profligacy and corruption.
The NLC also accused the Federal Ministry of Power and National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) of incompetence over the persistent collapse of the national grid.
The union lamented that the national grid has collapsed under the power minister, Adebayo Adelabu, more than all the previous ministers in the history of Nigeria.
NLC equally demanded a comprehensive audit of the entire power sector budget and others to unearth other potential avenues for corruption and financial recklessness.
In the statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC challenged the power minister to tell Nigerians how much dividend it has received from the DISCOs and other privatised entities since the last 12 years of privatisation in lieu of its 40 percent ownership of the privatized entities.
The NLC statement read in parts: “We will continue to monitor developments in this regard and will not hesitate to mobilise against any attempt to use the budget process as a vehicle for waste and corruption.
“Asking for N8 billion to teach us how to pay bills to DISCOs owned by private entities is entirely questionable and speaks to the deeper worries of Nigerians as to the distinction between those in government and those who bought the electricity companies.
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“It is laughable to believe that what is important to Nigerians, especially as it concerns the power sector now is to be sensitised on why they should pay more for electricity in the midst of constant grid failure and overwhelming darkness.
“This is annoying and speaks to the depth of crass contempt and disdain with which some individuals occupying the nation’s corridors of power hold the citizens.
“If the leadership of the power sector are compelled to reduce the number of times they spend at the National Assembly, perhaps, they would have more time to focus on their job and reduce the embarrassing situation in the sector.
“Sensitization campaigns should not cost a fraction of this amount, especially in a country where schools are underfunded, hospitals lack basic equipment, and infrastructure is crumbling.
“This allocation is not just wasteful; it is a slap in the face of every hardworking Nigerian struggling to make ends meet.
“Unless the perceived incompetence and wastefulness in the Ministry of Power and the NERC is addressed urgently, the nation’s power sector may collapse completely.
“We urge the President of the federation to take steps to rein in the burgeoning appetites of those in the Power Ministry and NERC, to reinvigorate the sector and save it from total collapse.”
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