Electricity Workers: Why Power Supply Remains Comatose in Nigeria

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Electricity workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have decried the privatisation of Nigeria’s power sector since 2013, adding that investors who took over the sector did not have the technical competence and financial muscles to fix and improve power generation and distribution to Nigerians.

The union noted that when it raised the alarm, their outcry was misunderstood by Nigerians and those within the corridors of power with a well-orchestrated propaganda against the union which was mischievously accused of trying to protect inefficiency even as it tried its best to educate Nigerians of the impending evil.

Not only that, the electricity workers lamented that the same persons who advised the government to sell, also deceived it to pay about N2 trillion as subvention to the investors that bought the companies.

Addressing a press conference in Benin City, capital of Edo State, yesterday, the Zonal Organising Secretary, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Edo-Delta zone, Nash Shaibu said, “The consequences and pains that goes with privatisation exercise as the union had predicted, have manifested and Nigerians are today groaning expectedly without electricity.”

He added that today, electricity workers have been vindicated because the power sector is not only collapsing but has collapsed as the distribution companies are being taken over by the banks to recover money borrowed by the investors from their banks.

According to him, most of the distribution networks within the zone comprising Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo states were begging for attention because the equipment they inherited after privatisation have remained the same because there is no visible attempt by the company to upgrade and expand their network capacities.

Consequently, Shaibu noted that customers and communities within the various catchment areas have been cut off from power supply for non-payment as a result of outrageous/estimated bills, pointing out that it is inhuman and insensitive to increase electricity tariff without notable improvement and provision of prepaid meters to Nigerians by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Discos as directed by the federal government.

Similarly, the electricity workers picked holes in the Generation Companies (Gencos), noting that since they took over, they have not added 1MW to what they inherited after privatisation.

“The Gencos output has been hovering between 3500MW and 4000MW despite improvement in the wheeling capacity to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) which is still federal government owned.

“Meanwhile, the precarious work conditions has imposed hardship on the existing employees in the sector as the Discos are formulating endless obnoxious policies that is making our members work in an unfriendly environment as a result of crazy bills the investors are only interested in profit maximisation which has exposed our members to serious life-threatening situations.”

In the same vein, he said the Gencos on the other hand have refused to sign conditions of service guiding employer/employee relations, poor remuneration, lack of welfare packaged coupled with being denied their fundamental constitutional rights to belong or join the union,” Shaibu stated.

He explained that all the ills mentioned came to the fore because the federal government is known not to respect signed agreement with the union, adding that almost nine years of privatisation, the entitlements of some of their union members of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have not been paid, while some have either been subjected to untold hardship or sent to their early grave because they lack fund to attend health challenges after being exited from service under the guise of privatisation.

 Also speaking, the Central Executive Council Member (West), David Ehihiamusoe; and Zonal Coordinator, NUEE (Edo/Delta), Ben Omoruyi, queried why the federal government should privatise power sector and at the same time participate in the privatization.

According to them, what the federal government did in respect of the privatisation is like selling a second hand car to someone and at the same time, keep servicing the vehicle for the buyer.