Femi Adi/ Kaduna
Kaduna Chapter of the National Labour Congress, NLC on Monday picketed the zonal headquarters of Kaduna Electricity Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, KAEDC, and other four district service stations in the state.
The offices picketed are Rigasa, Kawo, Makera, Barnawa district stations , which are the major operational offices of KAEDC within the metropolis.
Members of NLC and that of TUC at exactly 7 am arrived the zonal office , asked all the staff and security to leave and then closed the main entrance with padlock.
The Kaduna NLC Chairman Adamu Ango said the action taken by labour was in line with the planned protest against the recent hike in price of electricity tariff across the country.
According to him , labour will ensure that Nigerians get value for the services they pay for.
“We have closed the zonal office now and we are moving to Kawo, Kakuri,Barnawa and Kawo,” he said.
According to him, Nigerians are paying more than they consume for electricity supply, and wondered why the federal government should increase the tariff when the supply has not improved.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently revisit the report of the 2014 national conference and implement the holistic recommendations for the power sector instead of allowing the same unhelpful posting of high tariff by under-performing generating and distribution companies.
The labour unions also want the president to urgently review the privatisation contracts between the Federal government and GenCos and DisCos and give them a two year time-frame to stabilise and provide efficient power supply to Nigerians before any increase in tariff could take place.
While lamenting that the increment at this time negates the present biting economic recession, the unions said there has been no significant improvement in service delivery since the privatisation of the power sector.