Electricity workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE),has said that the union’s opposition to the privatization of Nigeria’s power sector in October 2013 has been justified by the poor power distribution to Nigerians across the country.
Comrade Nash Shaibu, the zonal Organizing Secretary, Edo/Delta Generation and Transmission Zone, disclosed this at a press conference in Benin,where he also lamented what he described as endless obnoxious policies being made by the Distribution Companies (DisCos) by making their members to work in an unfriendly environment as a result of crazy bills
Shaibu said when the union cried out initially as at the time the sector was about to be handed over to the private sector that the would-be handlers lack the capacity to manage it, Nigerians thought that they were busybodies.
He said: “The electricity workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees cried out at the privatization of Nigeria’s power sector in October 2013, that the investors taking over the sector do not have the technical competency and financial muscle to fix the sector to improve power generation and distribution to Nigerians .Unfortunately however, our outcry was misunderstood by the “Hustlers” within the government with a well-orchestrated propaganda against the union and the union was mischievously accused of trying to protect inefficiency but the union did its best to educate Nigerians on the impending evil.
“These “Hustlers” who advised the government to sell also deceived the government to pay about N2tr subventions to the investors that bought the companies.The consequences and pains that go with privatization exercise as the union had predicted have not only come to pass but manifested and Nigerians are today groaning expectedly.And they have vindicated the union as always standing on the side of the truth’’
He lamented that the power sector is collapsing,while power distribution companies are being taken over by the banks who are allegedly doing so to recover money borrowed by the investors from their banks.
He also hinted that most of the distribution network within the zone comprising Delta, Edo, Ekiti and Ondo states are begging for attention,inherited the equipment inherited after privatization remain same as there is no visible attempt by the company to upgrade and expand their capacities.
He said none of the generation companies (GenCos) has added 1MW to what they inherited after the privatization adding that the GenCos output has been hovering between 3500MW and 4000MW despite improvement in the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) which is still federal government owned to over 7000MW.
He also faulted the inability of the federal government to honour the agreement reached with the union, stressing that it is almost nine years of privatization, the entitlements of some of the workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria,PHCN, have not since been paid, thereby subjecting them to hardship and untimely death.
He maintained that the union is prepared to use their labour and sweat to liberate the sector and the country from the clutches of these “Hustlers” in the power sector.
He further lamented that the precarious work conditions have imposed hardship on the existing employees in the Sector as the Distribution Companies (DisCos) are formulating endless obnoxious policies that is making their members work in an unfriendly environment as a result of crazy bills as the investors are only interested in profit maximization.
“This has exposed our members to serious life-threatening situations. Furthermore, the Generation Companies (GenCos) on the other hand have refused to sign conditions of service guiding employer/employee relations, poor remuneration, lack of welfare packages coupled with being denied their fundamental constitutional rights to belong or join the union. We are also prepared to resist any threat or provocation on the leadership of the union at the zonal and national level, as a threat to workers in the sector and Nigerians is a threat to workers at large’’
