Miffed by the poor performance of the power sector 12 years after the privatization of the power companies, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), on Thursday urged the Federal Government to urgently reverse the privatization of the ailing power sector entities.
The union particularly rued the low performance of the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and others, describing the owners of the privatized entities as incapable of achieving the laudable goals of the privatization programme as they relate to the power sector.
Addressing journalists on the state of the sector, the Zonal Organising Secretary (Liaison), Engr. Kolade Ayodele, accused the new owners of deceiving the government into paying N2 trillion in subvention to them, alleging that the abysmal performance of the power entities has been worsening the socio-economic situation of ordinary Nigerians and businesses.
Kolawole lamented that despite improvements in the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) of 7,000 megawatts, the generation output had dwindled below 5,000 megawatts leading to multiple grid disruptions in the first half of this year.
The union leader also pointed out that the 14-hour industrial action by sector’s labour unions last month resulted in an estimated loss of N2.94 billion in revenues to the DisCos
He explained: “Since the privatization of Nigeria’s Power Sector in October 2013, electricity workers under the age of the National Union of Electricity Employees have been in the fore-front of speaking out on behalf of the Nigerian people.
“It is an undeniable truth that the power sector privatization has not added value to the lives of the ordinary Nigerians. The entire exercise which could be described as a charade has not brought any meaningful impact/improvement of the sector, rather, it has led the nation to a huge set back.
“The infrastructural development by the New Business Owners in the Power Sector has almost gone comatose while the Socio-Economic status of the average worker in the Sector has continued to decline amidst prevailing harsh economic conditions.
“The same equipment inherited from Pre-Privatization have remained what drives the Sector as there are no visible attempts by the Generation Companies (GenCos) and Distribution Companies (DisCos) to upgrade and expand their capacities/networks.
“Nigerians were deceived into believing that the ‘Harvestors’ had the Financial/Technical muscles to improve power generation and distribution to Nigerians. Can Nigerians be told today that this purpose has been achieved?”, the NUEE zonal coordinator queried.
On the rising electricity tariff in the country, the NUEE scribe said: “Electricity tariff has continued to rise without making prepaid meters available to Nigerians despite the Federal Government’s directive to the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and the DisCos.
Ayodele stressed that workers in the sector were prepared to use their labour and sweat to liberate the sector and the country from the clutches of these “hustlers in the power sector”.
