The Nigeria Labour Congress has said it will mobilise workers and the people for a nationwide protest if the Federal Government goes ahead with the proposed electricity tariff hike.
Labour called it economic violence against the working class and the Nigerian people.
This came as the National Union of Electricity Employees warned that Nigerians should not pay for darkness.
In a statement after its National Executive Council meeting in Yola, Adamawa State on 28 February 2025, the NLC described the proposed reclassification of electricity consumers by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission as a sham.
They accused the Ministry of Power and NERC of forcing consumers into higher tariff bands under the guise of service improvement when in reality it will worsen economic hardship.
The NLC said the ruling elite acting as agents of global monopoly capital are determined to make life more miserable for Nigerians through continuous tariff hikes, increased taxation and economic strangulation.
They resolved that any further imposition of electricity tariff will be met with mass resistance and have instructed their National Administrative Council to start immediate preparation for protests.
Besides electricity, the NLC also raised concern over the 35% increase in telecommunications tariff.
Although the Congress noted that the government had reduced the initial proposal from 50% to 35%, there are doubts over government’s commitment to honour this agreement.
The union said if the new telecom tariff takes effect on 1st March 2025 without adhering to the agreed terms, it will use all means to enforce compliance.
The NLC said Nigerian workers should not pay for corporate and government inefficiency.
Electricity workers have rejected the re-categorisation of electricity consumers. They see it as an exploitative agenda where Nigerians will pay more without any improvement in service delivery.
The electricity workers union has vowed to resist any attempt to increase tariffs and warned of trouble in the sector if the government goes ahead.
This is in response to comments by Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu who said plans are underway to regularise electricity tariffs across Bands A, B and C.
He said it was to address the anomalies in the current billing system and attract investment into the power sector.
But the National Union of Electricity Employees is not buying this, saying the minister’s focus on tariff increase is misdirected or even usurping the role of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
They said the minister’s claim that a tariff increase will improve liquidity in the power sector is contested especially with the challenges the sector is facing.
Acting General Secretary Dominic Igwebike said the union as a key stakeholder in the industry cannot be silent and must present a solution to the problem.
The union also recalled that in 2024 NERC justified a tariff increase by saying only Band A consumers who constitute 15% of the users but consume 40% of Nigeria’s electricity will be affected and that the general public will not be affected.
They asked who exactly are the Band A consumers?
They further argued that the general public as end-users of electricity will bear the additional cost and worsen their economic problems with declining purchasing power and increasing poverty levels.
The union suggested that instead of focusing on tariff adjustment the government should focus on improving the overall efficiency and reliability of the power sector.
While acknowledging the financial challenges in the industry the National Union of Electricity Employees said the Minister is prioritising measures that will increase poverty.
Recent reports say Adelabu’s proposed tariff increase wants to standardise tariffs for customers in Bands B and C with the N206/KWh rate applicable to Band A customers.
This has been opposed by power consumers and members of the organised private sector who are questioning the government’s reason for increasing the cost of commodities in various sectors of the economy.