Fashola defends govt’s position

ORGANISED labour and its civil society allies yesterday made good their threat as protests against the new Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO2015) which took off February 1 swept across the country, paralysing activities at many electricity distribution companies (Discos) in many cities.

From Lagos to Abuja, Kaduna, Ibadan, Enugu, Maiduguri, Owerri, Port Harcourt and indeed all major cities in all states of the federation, the protesters were unequivocal in their rejection of the tariff increase.

But, Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who was in Lagos for the second edition of the stakeholders’ monthly meeting, said the tariff was necessary to put many things in place and drive the required improvement in electricity supply. He said : “We need productivity and not protest at this moment.”

As early as 6:00a.m. yesterday across the country, labour unions and their allies had begun marching on electricity distribution companies in major cities of the country.

In Lagos, a throng of protesters including residents’ associations and civil society groups marched on the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Com‎pany (IEDC) demanding effective supply of electricity as well as a reversal of the price increase, an action that hindered vehicular activities in that area.

In Kaduna, Abakaliki, Owerri, Kano, Bauchi, Enugu, Benin City and elsewhere protesters picketed the offices of the electricity distribution companies, locked the gates and paralysed business activities.

In Abuja,however, there may have been silent jubilation within government circles over the scanty crowd that took to the streets in protest even as NLC,TUC and their civil society allies have raised a committee to sustain the picketing of electricity firms to force a reduction of the 45% increase.

The General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, who disclosed the establishment of the committee to The Guardian yesterday after the protest, explained that labour would also work with professional bodies such as lawyers, manufacturers and transporters to sustain the picketing after the Monday protest.

He said: “The NLC, TUC and our allies will have established a committee that will ensure that the picketing is sustained because we know that government would think we are doing this for a short moment. To show that we are on it for the long haul, we have established a committee headed by the National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Yasin Najeem, to ensure that every step is taken to sustain the struggle.”

The NLC scribe also dispelled a rumour that a truce had been reached between labour and the Imo State government on the planned protest earmarked for Owerri, the Imo State capital tomorrow as the handiwork of detractors. He added that NLC had directed all the state councils to send representatives to the rally.

Addressing the gathering in Ikeja, the Vice President of the NLC, Amaechi Asugwuni, said: “The increment at this time negates the present economic situation and an attempt to further impoverish the poor masses.

“The Discos promised to give Nigerians meters in 18 months but they failed. This is corruption and it is ripping Nigerians off their money.”

“It is inhumane and disheartening that the power situation in the country has not improved and consumers are asked to pay more.

“We are speaking for the people of Nigeria and are saying no to the new tariff and to darkness. As a result of the unfair situation, we are ready to shut the economy if there is no reversal as demanded.

“However, since the court has not given the go-ahead on tariff hike, but has asked the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to suspend any form of tariff increment, there is no basis for the minister to go against the court order.

It is prejudice by law and there are penalties for defaulters.”

According to him, labour will continue to protest against the 45 per cent increase until it is reversed and a substantive improvement in electricity supply is seen.

Speaking in the same vein, Coordinator, Consumer Protection Forum, Adeola Samuel-Ilori, said the organisation had engaged distribution companies several times on the issue of estimated billing without result.

Samuel-Ilori added that if the DISCOs had been able to meter everywhere within the 18 months gestation period, the problem of estimation billing would have been solved.

Fashola, who berated the long neglect of the sector, said the nation’s electricity capacity now was not enough for 170 million Nigerians, therefore, there was the need for more energy to be produced and for more investors to be involved.

The minister further appealed to Nigerians for understanding on the increase, describing it as a ‘bitter pill’ that should be swallowed by the populace.

He said: “I understand that people who have been disappointed over a long time feel a sense of concern that again tariffs have been increased but this should have been done from day one. I don’t know why the government of yesterday was not courageous enough to pronounce the price and this was why you have the MYTO every two years, giving the impression that price would be increased every two years.

“What we have done now with NERC is to give a 10-year tariff and if you look at that tariff painstakingly, you will see that in about two years from now, it will begin to go down on a sliding scale, and whatever price the tariff offers now is a lot cheaper than diesel, inverter, petrol and other sources of private power generation.

“It is a painful pill and I must appeal that we all swallow it as I did it because we are not left with many choices and this is the first major decision in power by this administration,” he said.
Strike paralyses Discos

In the South East, the offices of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, Owerri Imo State, Enugu and Umuahia were shut by protesters as were those of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company(AEDC) in Lokoja, Kogi State.

In Kaduna State, activities at the headquarters and the zonal offices of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company(KEDC) were under lock and key in full compliance with the NLC’s order to picket all Discos.

At the KEDC’s headquarters along the Bank Road, union members carried placards with inscriptions such as: “NLC/TUC kick against arbitrary hike in electricity tariff”; “President Muhammadu Buhari, please protect Nigerian masses from exploitation,” privatisation of PHCN was a scam, probe the sale of PHCN.”

Offices of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State were sealed off by protesters led by the Chairman of TUC,

Odunayo Adesoye and his NLC counterpart Ade Adesanmi who arrived around 8:23a.m.‬ and wanted to gain entry to picket the workers.

Men and officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), had prevailed on the protesters from entering, but after threats by the labour leaders who spoke with megaphone, workers inside rushed out of the building to forestall being manhandled by the visibly livid protesters.

In Ibadan, union leaders and their members who had converged on the Agodi secretariat of the NLC early in the morning, moved to Gate, Agodi, Iwo-road, Monatan, Ring Road and other parts of the town, carrying various placards with various suggestive inscriptions to register their displeasure over the new tariffs.

The union members stormed the office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IEDC) of Nigeria in Monatan, Gate, Mokola and Ring Road where they expressed their displeasure, by singing various solidarity songs.

Some of the labour leaders and human rights activists, who spoke with journalists in Ibadan called for a reversal of the new tariff order.

In Benin City, Edo State, protesters marched on major streets carrying placards with various inscriptions like:
“Increase in tariff, more hardship for the people”; “No meter, no payment of bills”; “ We need light not darkness, tariff increase is negotiable and no light, no pay among others to register.”

In Maiduguri, Borno State, the state chapter of NLC and Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) said “45 per cent increase electricity tariff by NERC and Discos was illegal, unjustifiable and to further exploit Nigerians.”