The federal government through the ministry of power has faulted the organized labour’s opposition to the electricity tariff hike and the removal of the subsidy in the sector.
Spokesperson for the ministry, Florence Eke, in an interview said the minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu’s justification of the electricity tariff hike at the senate public hearing on Monday last week was still valid.
Adelabu had defended the electricity tariff hike before the senate panel saying “The entire sector will be grounded if we don’t increase the tariff. With what we have now in the next three months, the entire country will be in darkness if we don’t increase tariffs.
“The increment will catapult us to the next level. We are also Nigerians. We are also feeling the impact,” but that explanation did not go down well with labour union leaders who are calling for a reversal of the policy.
Speaking at the International Workers Day celebration in Abuja on May 1, the NLC President, Ajaero and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, said, “It is unethical to force Nigerians to pay higher tariffs for non-existent electricity. Estimated billing is an extortion and daylight robbery against Nigerians.”
The spokeswoman for the ministry of power, however, shot back at the labour leader and insisted the burden of the electricity subsidy was too much for the government to bear and it was not sustainable.
“The position of the honourable minister of power is very clear on the electricity tariff matter. What the minister has said is that the burden of the electricity subsidy is much on the Federal Government and cannot be maintained. “That is what the minister also said when he appeared before the Senate. We are not toeing the path of the trade unions. The only thing here is that the minister has made his position clear,” she said.
