The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress have told the Federal Government to prepare for the consequences of the electricity tariff hike it announced on Wednesday.
The NLC through its spokesperson, Benson Upah described as wicked and unpopular the FG decision, saying since the government preferred to listen to the World Bank and the Interrnational Monetary Fund, it should be ready to face the consequences.
Upah said “We did say earlier that this tariff hike is insensitive and unpopular. So if the government elects to continue with the hike or persists in something that is evil, I’m sure it is equally prepared for the consequences of that evil.
“The manufacturers are saying this is going to hurt businesses and make the environment more hostile, and we also said so. There is no place in the world where high power tariffs have supported manufacturing. Not even in the developed world.
“So, it completely beats our imagination for the minister to have the audacity to say that the policy would continue. What this means is that the minister and the President are not in charge. It is saddening that the minister elected to pursue an unpopular policy.”
“It shows that the minister and the President are not in charge. The people in charge are the World Bank and the IMF. They are the ones driving this highly injurious policy.
“So, our leaders should be prepared for the consequences of this highly injurious policy. That is what I’ll say about this issue for now.”
Manufacturers like the organised labour had kicked against the hike in tariff payable by about 1.9 million consumers, which was approved and announced by the Federal Government on Wednesday.
The Organised Private Sector, NLC, had kicked against the hike in tariff for power users and demanded that the decision be reversed.
They said the increase would ground manufacturers, worsen inflation and stifle small and medium enterprises, adding that there was no place in Nigeria currently enjoying up to 20 hours of power supply daily.
