*The National Union of Electricity Employees alleges the new owners of power assets in Nigeria聽 deceived the Federal Government into giving them N2 trillion intervention without tangible results, calls for immediate reversal of privatisation of聽 power sector

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Nigerian electricity workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), again, have strongly criticised the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) and Generation Companies (GenCos) over the continuous poor power supply since the privatisation and handing over the distribution cum generation units of the power sector to new owners almost a decade ago.

Kolade Ayodele, Zonal Organising Secretary (Liaison) of NUEE, told reporters that the new owners of the power assets in the country, whom he described as 鈥渉ustlers鈥�, deceived the Federal Government into giving them N2 trillion intervention.

Ayodele maintained rather than being an intervention fund as claimed by the government and the power firms, the N2 trillion intervention fund was the companies鈥� way of collecting back the money they paid to acquire the assets in 2013.

The Zonal Organising Secretary (Liaison) of NUEE also alleged that the private operators have continued to impoverish Nigerian consumers, and have contributed poorly to the power sector, leaving the country pillaged.

Ayodele urged the Federal Government to immediately reverse the privatisation of the nation鈥檚 power sector.

According to him, despite recognisable improvements in the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) of 7,000 Megawatts (MW), the power generation output has dropped below insignificant 5,000MW in the country.

The workers’ union further described the activities of the new owners of the power assets as part of the reasons the industry has gone almost comatose, resulting in the impoverishment of the average electricity worker.

Ayodele as well said Nigerian consumers should also be worried as electricity tariffs have continued to rise without commensurate service delivery.

New power assets owners are 鈥榟ustlers鈥�: NUEE chief

He stated: 鈥淒espite improvement in the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, which is still Federal Government-owned to over 7,000MW, the generation output has been dwindling below 5,000MW.

鈥淎las! the 鈥榟ustlers鈥� who deceived the federal government into paying almost N2 trillion subvention to the owners of the new companies since privatisation, are being used to call the union names in order to exploit Nigerians and sustain the current comatose situation.”

The NUEE leader said: “Their mission is simply to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it, while they keep smiling to the banks.”

Since the privatisation of Nigeria鈥檚 power sector in October 2013, the NUEE had been in the forefront of speaking out on behalf of the Nigerian people, he noted.

Ayodele said it was an undeniable truth that the power sector privatisation had not added any value to the lives of the ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, the entire exercise, which he described as a charade, had not brought any meaningful impact or improvement to the sector.

Power sector and impoverishment of workers, electricity consumers

Instead, Ayodele insisted that the power sector privatisation exercise has rather led Nigeria to a huge setback over the years.

He pointed out that the infrastructural development by the new business owners in the power sector has almost gone comatose, while the socio-economic status of the average worker in the sector has continued to decline amid prevailing harsh economic conditions.

The NUEE chief also added: 鈥淭he same equipment inherited from pre-privatisation have remained what drives the sector as there are no visible attempts by the Gencos and Discos to upgrade and expand their capacities/networks.

鈥淣igerians were deceived into believing that the 鈥榟arvestors鈥� had the financial/technical muscles to improve power generation and distribution to Nigerians. Can Nigerians be told today that this purpose has been achieved?

鈥淭he answer was echoed in the print/electronic media by members of the National Assembly who even called for the total reversal of the entire process.”

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