The federal government has announced its intention to negotiate with organized labor following the protest by the National Labour Congress (NLC) against the recent hike in electricity tariffs.
The NLC disrupted activities in the power sector on Monday, demanding a reversal of the tariff hike. The Congress picketed the offices of all eleven Electricity Distribution Companies and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Led by NLC President Joe Ajaero, the protest took place at the Ministry of Power and the NERC headquarters in Abuja. In addition, offices of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company were shut down, preventing workers from resuming duties.
Similar protests occurred at the offices of the eleven distribution companies in Kwara, Lagos, Kaduna, Plateau, Enugu, Sokoto, and other parts of the country.
Reacting to the protest, the Nigerian Government stated its readiness to negotiate with organized labor. Florence Eke, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Power, informed Daily Post that the Federal Government, through the Permanent Secretary, Mamman Mahmuda, had scheduled a consultative meeting for next week with organized labor and stakeholders to address the issue.
Eke said, “The permanent secretary assured me that the Ministry is also a worker. The Ministry has asserted that its responsibility is to make policy while agencies, in this case, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and other agencies implement it. The Ministry will invite all stakeholders for a proper consultation by next week.”
