•NLC
Affiliate unions of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday in Kano urged the federal government to reverse the privatisation of the electricity and water sectors for better performance.
The top officials of unions that included National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), that hosted newsmen explained that the Nigerians were better off when the sectors were under government.
The unions, including National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), made the call in Kano yesterday, reports Daily Independent.
Ayuba Barde, NUEE North West Zonal Organising Secretary I, lamented that the privatisation of the critical sectors visited on the country a lot of negative impacts.
Barde said, “From inception, we called the attention of Nigerians that this policy government is bringing on board is not good for the country because we work in the sector and know its strengths and what needed to be put in place before the policy takes off, but Nigerians didn’t support us, thinking we had our motives.”
The North West Zonal Organising Secretary I stated that “But, the reality is we were looking at the aftermath and the effect in the long run. Today, Nigerians live to tell the story themselves. The supply is low and people are paying for the services they are not getting.
Barde explained that “From the billing system, the metering, these investors are just interested in profit maximisation rather than just reinvesting to the sectors.”
He also alleged that the sectors were just given to government cronies and allies and not privatised using their market worth. “Today, we have nothing to show but grid collapses, blackouts and excessive billing system,” he added.
Similarly, the AUPCTRE acting General Secretary Lawrence Ilesanmi, argued that the sector was privatised because government was running away from its responsibility.
He said, “Power sector is not supposed to be privatised because it is under the basic social services that are supposed to be subsidised by the government, but it is dodging that responsibility and inviting the private sector to come and produce and distribute them.
“But the private sector, because it is commercial and profit oriented, will not give quality services to people, therefore posing more risks to government in other sectors.
“For instance, after privatising water sector, there is frequent drilling of boreholes which affect the soil as well as the water table generally and causes a lot of havoc to the environment,” Ilesanmi added.
