The federal government has been urged by organized labour to halt the privatization of the power sector.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced this in a joint statement issued by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, yesterday at a ceremony to commemorate the 2022 May Day in Abuja.
Labour bemoaned the fact that the deregulation of diesel, aviation fuel, and kerosene had not resulted in the products’ availability.
The two bodies said the government should use the five-year review window in the Power Sector Privatization Reform Act, which is already late, to cancel the electricity privatization operation.
They said: “We also demand transparent investigation into the power sector privatisation programme, which we believe was hijacked by a few entitled Nigerians to corner the commonwealth without thought for value addition. Enough is enough!”
They stressed that the only long-term answer to Nigeria’s energy dilemma is the restoration and optimization of local oil refineries, as well as the construction of new ones.
This followed the Federal Government’s promise that “we will solve the electricity issue (the “up NEPA” thing will stop) by decentralizing the national grid system and offering alternative grids with private sector investments.”
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the announcement yesterday at Eagle’s Square in Abuja, at the 2022 Workers’ Day Rally, which was themed ‘Labour, Politics, and the Quest for Good Governance and Development.’
In laying out the Federal Government’s ambitions, he stated, “Faced with insecurity, we are re-engineering our security architecture with a stronger emphasis on technology and modern force multiplier platforms.
“We will achieve effective broadband connectivity for all by 2025. We will remove the yokes of over-regulation, multiple taxations and poor infrastructure from the necks of our private sector so as to unleash their productivity.
“We will establish a technology economy that will leverage our broadband connectivity for all, encourage tech companies to train more tech engineers and we will surpass every nation, God helping us, in terms of the quantum and quality of tech talent.
“We will re-engineer our educational curriculum to provide relevant education for new jobs and opportunities of the 21st century. Working with the states, we will ensure compulsory free basic education for all children male and female.”
GUARDIAN
