The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE),the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and two civil society organisations – the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and the Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF) have implored the Nigerian Senate to convene public hearing on the performance of the power sector since its privatization in 2013.
In a petition to the Nigerian Senate dated 27 January 2025,the groups decried the electricity woes in the country.
They lamented said that the power sector privatization has failed Nigeria’s over 230 million people with power generation still oscillating between 4,000 megawatts and 5,800 megawatts, in addition to incessant power grid collapse which is now a huge embarrassment to the nation.
Comrades Adedeye Adebiyi and Dominic Igwebike, NUEE National President and General Secretary respectively, Comrades Benjamin Anthony and Sikiru Waheed, AUPCTRE National President and General Secretary respectively, Comrade Sani Baba, Executive Director of CFSF and Philip Jakpor, Executive Director, RDI signed the petition which was addressed to the Senate President, Godwll Akpabio.
The groups noted also that the hike in electricity tariffs and the balkanization of Nigerians into electricity bands, suggesting who should get electricity the most,has also created an unnecessary class system in the society.
Nigerians are forced to depend on electric generators at huge financial, environmental and health costs on account of these.
They implored the Senate to immediately convene a public hearing and invite Nigerians to relate their experiences in the last 12 years of the electricity sector privatization.
They advocated the need to World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggested initiatives on privatizing Nigeria’s public assets under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) or any model that places profits over service delivery and human rights.
There should be adoption of the Public-Public-Partnership model which has proven to be successful as against privatization which is inefficient and has become a conduit pipe to fleece the nation, as well as sustained investment in human capital development in the public sector to pave way for efficiency and transparency in their operations.
They further demanded an end to practices that unfairly target workers in exercises that are carried out to strengthen government institutions and advocated that workers should be regularly trained and rated based on performance.