Femi Adi/ Kaduna

 

Kaduna Chapter of the National Labour Congress, NLC on Monday picketed the zonal headquarters of Kaduna Electricity Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, KAEDC,  and other four district service stations in the state.

The offices picketed  are Rigasa, Kawo, Makera, Barnawa district stations , which are the major operational offices of KAEDC within the metropolis.

Members of NLC and that of TUC  at exactly 7 am arrived the zonal office , asked all the staff and security to leave and then closed the main entrance with padlock.

The Kaduna NLC Chairman Adamu Ango said the  action taken by labour was in line with the planned protest against the recent hike in price of electricity tariff across the country.

According to him ,  labour will ensure that Nigerians get value for the services they pay for.

“We have closed the zonal office now and we are moving to Kawo, Kakuri,Barnawa and Kawo,” he said.

He however, said while members of the labour union in the state are ready to ensure that protest against the hike in electricity charges continue , he urged members of the public to support the labour action in the interest of a better service delivery to Nigerians.

The  former deputy president of the NLC, Issa Aremu,  said the protest  became necessary after all efforts to make the federal government to  shelve the idea of the increment failed.

According to him, Nigerians are paying more than they consume for electricity supply,  and  wondered why the federal government  should increase the tariff when the supply has not improved.

He called on President Muhammadu  Buhari to urgently revisit the report of the 2014 national conference and implement the holistic recommendations for the power sector instead of allowing the same unhelpful posting of high tariff by under-performing generating and distribution companies.

The labour unions also want the president to urgently review the privatisation contracts between the Federal government and GenCos and DisCos and give them  a two year time-frame to  stabilise and provide efficient power supply to Nigerians before any increase in tariff could take place.

While lamenting that the increment at this time negates the present biting  economic recession, the unions  said there has been no significant improvement in service delivery since the privatisation of the power sector.

The new power tariff jacks up unit costs by as much as 45 per cent.