Electricity Workers Reject FG's Planned Privatisation Of TCN, Threatens To Embark On Strike

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has rejected the planned privatization of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

The union of the nation’s electricity workers said the move would only be in the interest of the government and its business cronies to the detriment of the Nigerian masses.

Recounting its opposition to the privatization of the Power sector in 2013, NUEE said its fears have been confirmed by the daily agony and pain experienced by most Nigerians since the privatization of the sector over nine years ago.

It urged the public to prevail on the Federal Government to immediately implement the agreement between them, saying this is the only way to forestall a return to its suspended strike.

NUEE said these at a media briefing facilitated by the union’s Western Zone yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Addressing reporters in the company of other zonal and state officers, the Western Zone’s Assistant General Secretary Modupeoluwa Akinola said no amount of intimidation and falsehood, including what he called misrepresentation of facts, could deter the union from continuing to express its opposition to the privatization of the Power sector.

The union leader said NUEE’s position was in defense of the interest of its members and the masses of Nigeria.

He said: “Our union rejects the planned privatization of the TCN. We demand a full re-nationalization of the Power sector under the democratic control of a board that includes the representatives of workers and consumers.

“We hold that no amount of intimidation, falsehood, including misrepresentation of facts, can deter us from continuing to express our opposition to the privatization of the Power sector in defense of the interest of our members and the people.

“Since the privatization of the power sector in November 2013, all of the hope and expectations that privatization will add value to the life of the people and bring meaningful impact and improvement to the Power sector has been dashed.

“The myriad of problems bedeviling the sector before the privatization exercise have worsened and increased in multiple folds.

“It will interest you to know that, before the eventual privatization of the power sector in 2013, our union was at the forefront of several agitations and campaigns, which include street protests, town hall meetings, symposia, and picketing organized by mass of Nigerian people to stop and halt the then move for the privatization exercise.

“Our opposition to the privatization policy was informed by our understanding and conviction that privatization will always seek to protect and defend the profit interest of the business owners against the general interest of the people for affordable and regular electricity.”

“This has no doubt been confirmed by the daily agony and pain being experienced by our members and Nigeria people since the privatization of the power sector over nine years ago.”

Speaking on the need to make the union’s stand public and in a bid to dispel the orgy of misinformation and misrepresentation being peddled around by some individuals and organizations acting at the instance of the new business owners of the power sector.

“We of the electricity workers under the aegis of NUEE in the Western Zone decided to organize this press conference to draw the attention of the general public to the age-long position of our great union to the privatization of the Power sector, its attendant consequences, and the basis for an un-slacked defense and protection of members of our union.

“We consider this as a crucial and necessary step needed to be taken at this critical time to adequately dispel the orgy of misinformation and misrepresentation being peddled around by some individuals and organizations acting at the instance of the new business owners of the Power sector whose interests is to present our union in bad light before the general public.

“The ultimate goal behind the malicious campaign against our union’s leadership is to cripple the union, knowing fully well that it is the only formidable platform with capacity left to resist the obnoxious plan by the Federal Government in connivance with its acolytes in business to privatize TCN, the only component in the Power sector, supposedly controlled by the government, to ensure that their agenda for a full and total privatization of the Power sector is accomplished.”