Labour Protests, Disconnects NERC, TCN, DisCos’ Offices Over Tariff Hike

Organized Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), staged protests on Tuesday, leading to the shutdown of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) headquarters.

This action comes in response to the recent hike in electricity tariffs, with Labour demanding a reversal of the increase and denouncing the privatization of the power sector as a “colossal failure.”

The picketing of NERC, TCN, and AEDC offices was part of a broader nationwide protest, with state offices of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) also affected. Labour leaders emphasized their rejection of the tariff hike and called for increased regulatory oversight on DisCos and power generation companies (GENCOs) instead of burdening Nigerians with tariff increases.

Comrade Joe Ajaero, Labour highlighted the detrimental impact of the tariff hike on workers and small businesses, urging a complete reversal of power sector privatization and the recovery of public electricity assets sold under privatization schemes.