Groups Caution FG On Electricity Tariff Increase

The National Union of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) has urged the Federal Government to provide adequate supply of electricity before increasing the electricity tariff.

The National President of the Union, Comrade Bede Opara stated this in an interview with newsmen recently.

He said the time was not ripe to impose on consumers an increase in electricity tariff.

The SSAEAC’s president spoke against the background of federal government’s enforcement of a new electricity tariff, expected to take effect on June 1, 2012.

“The time for an increase in electricity tariff is not now, the right time should be when power is available before raising the price because consumers are already complaining of paying for products not used.

According to the SSAEAC president, consumers will be willing and happy to pay for the increase in electricity tariff if power is made available at least 18 hours everyday.

He urged the government to review its decision and ensure that sufficient power was generated before an increase in tariff.

On privatisation of the power sector, the union leader said that the union was not against it, explaining that the workers preferred liberalisation rather than privatisation of the power sector.

“The union believes that the sector needs to be reformed, what government wants is to make electricity available for all Nigerians and if that is so, privatisation is not the solution”, he said.

The union leader advised the federal government to ensure that all labour issues and entitlements were settled  before privatising the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

Meanwhile, the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) has also urged the federal government not to raise electricity charges for now.

According the President of (APBN) Segun Ajanlekoko, addressing  newsmen at the Port Harcourt Airport Omagwa, the decision was not good as the citizenry could not get electricity for two hours at a stretch per day.

“I wonder how many people that can boast of having power for two hours in a day”, he said.

He said, the federal government should put on hold the proposed up ward revenue of electricity charges until when power generation and distribution improve.

Let us have stable power first, then the government can charge whatever it likes” he said.

It will be recalled that the federal government through the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved a new electricity tariff regime throughout the federation which will start on June 1, 2012.