NLC to Discos: Improve on your service delivery before tariff increase

The Organized Labour in Plateau State on Monday threatened mass action against the increase in tariff in the energy sector, which could lead to the closure of all Distribution Companies nationwide.
It advised the Discos to backtrack on the increase in tariff recently slammed on electricity consumers.
Labour made its position known in Jos, the Plateau State capital, when various unions, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Organisations picketed the headquarters of the Jos Distribution Company as part of the nationwide protest against increase in electricity tariff implemented from February 1.
According to the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Jubril Banchi, the protest was a signal to the Discos that they have reneged on the earlier arrangement reached with the NLC, TUC, CSO and other trade unions before the privatization of the power sector.
Banchi said: “We have taken this step to caution DISCOs that they have taken a negative stand against Nigeria and if they don’t revert the stand, we will embark on a mass action that would lead to the closure of their offices nationwide.
“It was agreed during the privatization that no Disco will increase its price within 18 months without any consultative meeting with stakeholders.”
Also speaking, the Director of Civil Society Organizations, Comrade Steve Aluko, described the action of the Discos as subsidy stealing and called on the Federal Government to probe the companies before it leads to public revolt.
Aluko said: “”If you go to the rural communities, they don’t even have metres.
“Discos will overprice them and force them to pay.
“If you visit some parts of Jos, including Rukuba community, people paid for poles, people paid for metres they have not seen.
“If it is so, where are you getting the billing from?
“We have also discovered that some widows in Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi, in northern Nigeria have been billed over N404,000 and we feel that if the fight against corruption in Nigeria must be taken seriously, the energy sector must be a critical area that corruption must be fought to a stand still.”