Electricity Workers Lament Power Sector Woes, Seek Reversal Of Privatisation

The National Union of Electricity Employees, (NUEE), has decried the persistent crisis that has plagued the power sector despite the privatisation, which has failed to deliver the promised benefits to Nigerians.

This is as the union urged the federal government to reverse the privatisation of the nation’s power sector, describing new owners of the privatised companies as ‘hustlers’ and ‘hawks’ that have contributed poorly to the sector in the nine years after.

Speaking to journalists on behalf of his colleagues, zonal organising secretary (Liaison) of NUEE, Ayodele Kolade, yesterday, also condemned nonpayment of entitlements of some of the workers of the defunct PHCN thus inflicting untold hardship on them and their dependents.

The union also accused the new owners of deceiving the federal government into paying N2 trillion subvention, insisting that they have continued to impoverish Nigerians, leaving the country pillaged.

They claimed that despite recognisable improvements in the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, of 7,000 megawatts, the generation output has now dwindled below 5,000 megawatts.They pointed at the activities of the new owners as part of reasons why the Power Sector has almost gone comatose and the impoverishment of the average worker in the sector.