Workers at Dakata/Sauna Small Scale Enterprises (SMEs) area, one of the SMEs hub in Kano, have staged a peaceful protest over recent hike in electricity tariff that threatens thekr jobs as ooeratkrs threatened to shutdown their businesses.
It was gathered thag the hike in electricity tariff allegedly enforced by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) recently is forcing SMEs operators to closedown their operations in the area thereby rendering hundreds jobless.
According to Malam Uzairu Mamman Aisha who spoke on behalf of the workers orotesting the development, their means of livelihood is under attack because operators of the SMEs are planning to shutdown operations because they couldn’t afford the new tariff. He said shuttingdown of the SMEs means shuttidown their lives as they solely depend on their jobs to survive..
“This is all we have got, we are not asking for anything from the goveenment but unfortunately the little we are getting here is now under a threat. For 5 days now, we haven’t worked, and only God knows what will happen should the SMEs operators decided to shutdown completely due to the electricity tariff hike. We are appealing for authorities concern to review this increase,” he pleaded.
Alhaji Isma’ila Shehu Dakata is one of the SME operators in the area and according to him, the tariff increase lacks human face as it goes beyond what many operators can afford hence their resolve to shutdown.
“Imaging a 300% increase and in this economic hardship, the increase lacked human face and many of us have decided to venture into other things, because we can’t afford what KEDCO is asking us,” he said.
Similarly, Kano state government representative in the area Alhaji Zilkifilu Alhassan said, he will ensure that the state government wade into the matter, while pleading with the operators not to shutdown, the representative called for calm in the area.
However, attempt to reach out to KEDCO’s Public Relation Officer Sani Bala Sani to comment on the issue proved abortive.
