The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has has lashed out at the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and World Bank blaming them for the power sector crisis currently bedeviling Nigeria.
This came at a time when workers in the nation’s power sector called for a total review of the power sector privatization, saying the exercise was a huge failure that did not meet the expectations of Nigerians.
In a goodwill message, on Thursday in Enugu during the 7th Quadrennial/12 Delegates Conference of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, President of NLC, Joe Ajaero lamented that Nigeria was still very low in capacity in terms of megawatts, contending that no nation could develop without electricity.
Ajaero also fumed that despite billions of Naira pumped into the power sector over the years, Nigeria was still grappling with 4,000 megawatts of electricity, blaming the IMF and World Bank for the power sector crisis in Nigeria, saying they “want Nigeria to remove subsidy on electricity as they ill-advised Nigeria to remove fuel subsidy as well as devalue the naira. Up till tomorrow, the IMF and the World Bank will continue to dictate to us. They are telling Nigeria to completely remove subsidies on electricity. What’s their interest? Why can’t they tell America to remove subsidy on wheat.”
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In his welcome address President of NUEE, Martin Uzoegwu, urged the Federal Government to encourage and harness the abundant renewable energy resources in the country and do away with fossil fuels to improve power generation in Nigeria.
Uzoegwu, in valedictory speech, posited that if renewable energy source replaces fossil fuels, it would reduce climate change in Nigeria.
He noted that the world is already moving towards an energy transition.
“Government should encourage and harness the abundant renewable energy source as against the use of fossil fuel to improve power generation and reduce the effect of climate change in Nigeria as the world is moving towards just energy transition,” he said.
The outgoing NUEE President, while urging the government to shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources, also called on the government to consider a total review of the privatisation of the power sector, saying that the exercise was a huge failure that did not meet the expectation of Nigerians in terms of energy demands and tariff.
He lamented that the government that should have regulated the energy sector looked the other way while investors throttled Nigerians.
Uzoegwu used the opportunity to condemn the dastardly manner the President of NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero was manhandled in Imo State during the 2023 general elections, pointing out that the perpetrators of the dastardly act should be brought to book to assuage the organised labour.