-By Victoria Opeyemi
There have been ongoing negotiations with government and organised labour to chat a new people friendly tariff structure for electricity consumers across the country in which a Technical Committee was set up.
But Nigerians are gradually running out of patience with the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) over their inability to deliver on their side of contractual agreement to ensure constant electricity supply to the consumers nationwide.
The coalition of activists while raising concerns over the ongoing meeting between government and organised labour over the revised electricity tariff said the meeting from all indications is not targeted at addressing the issues in the electricity sector but rather to buy time and keep consumers in perpetual darkness. They claim that the meeting with all the parties involved may hit the rocks.
Aggrieved Nigerians say labour leaders should pull out of the negotiation. Although they have not lost confidence on the labour leaders but did not trust the government sitting on the negotiating table with them.
According to them the inability of government and other critical stakeholders in the power sector to address the challenges associated with electricity consumption in Nigeria would not stop them from engaging government in finding lasting solution to the issue at stake.
Therefore, the mission is to be the foremost electricity consumer right protection national movement of communities in Nigeria to sensitize and mobilise against any fracture that constitute an obstacle to the goal of achieving 24 hours power available, accessible and affordable electricity supply in Nigeria.
Some Nigerians are calling for the immediate reversal of the privitisation policy of the power sector noting that consumers are already frustrated by the challenges in the sector. The policy has failed.
Electricity not used are being paid by consumers. Nigerians cannot be paying for darkness or power not used hence they suggested that the country should reverse to the old National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA), a situation where all chains of power supply, generating, transmitting and distributing were controlled by same agency before it was unbundled.
The coalition of aggrieved electricity consumers said the struggle to end exploitation to bring about reforms is aimed at achieving available and affordable electricity in Nigeria. However, the Technical Committee has earlier made some recommendations to the government with negotiations still ongoing.
Comment here