By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
Operations at the offices of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) as well as the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) in Bauchi State were on Monday put on hold.
The development was as leadership of the organized Labour under Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) picketted the offices are sealed them off to protest the recent increase in the tariff of electricity by the Federal Government as well as the issue of introduction of bands to segregate among the consumers.
As early as 7am, leadership and membership of the Two Unions converged at the entrance of the main office of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (Jos Disco) where they sealed the gate and prevented staff and other visitors entrance into the building.
From there, the NLC and TUC enforcement officers moved to the NERC and TCN offices in different locations within Bauchi metropolis to ensure that they were closed.
While addressing the members, Bauchi State NLC Chairperson, Comrade Dauda Shuaibu said that the Union’s SWC held a meeting in Abuja on 30th April and wrote to the Discos to make an immediate reversal of the new tariff.
According to him, “Also, the joint NEC of the NLC and TUC wrote the same letter to them to reverse the tariff and we issued a letter of which we are expecting them to reverse. Their failure to reverse it is the result of what we are implementing here this morning and across the nation.”
He added that, “We have received reliable information that the JEDC office in Yelwa is selling units and making remittances, we are going there to stop that. We will ensure that the entire offices were shut down, no operations.”
Also speaking, the State Chairman of TUC, Comrade Sabiu Barau Ningi, said: “It’s a clarion call for all of us to stand resolutely. We have started this struggle and there is no going back until the new tariff of electricity is reversed.”
According to him, “We know how we are suffering and everyone knows that Nigerians are facing hard times. Even with the increase, the supply is not there.”
“Therefore, we are calling on the Federal Government to immediately reverse it. Otherwise there is no going back, we will shut down the whole electricity supply system in this country,” he said.
During the peaceful protest, members of the two Unions were seen displaying placards with various inscriptions like: “NLC/TUC Says No To Exploitation”, “No Segregation in Power Supply”, “No More Band A, B or even Z”.
