February 8, 2025

NLC Blames Power Minister, NERC for Frequent Grid Collapse, Rejects N8bn Sensitization Budget

 

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has blamed the frequent grid collapse in the country on what it described as incompetence of the Minister of Power and National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NECR.

 

It also rejected the proposed use of N8 billion to sensitise consumers on how to pay electricity bill, describing it as the height of profligacy, wastefulness and corruption.

 

NLC in a statement, yesterday, equally demanded a comprehensive audit of the entire power sector budget and others to unearth other potential avenues for corruption and financial recklessness.

 

In the statement signed by the President, Mr Joe Ajaero, the labour movement challenged the Power minister to tell Nigerians how much dividend the ministry has received from DISCOs and other privatised entities since the last 12 years of privatisation, in lieu of its 40 per cent ownership of the privatised entities.

 

The statement read: “We will continue to monitor developments in this regard and will not hesitate to mobilise against any attempt to use the budget process as a vehicle for waste and corruption.

 

“The power sector in Nigeria is at the brink of collapse, as the helmsmen have repeatedly shown gross incompetence. I

 

“It is a sector where the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, despite the enormous power invested on it by the Electricity Act of 2023, has continuously demonstrated incapacity to regulate or outrightly refused to discharge its responsibilities to electricity consumers in Nigeria.

 

“At the same time, the minister in charge is enamoured with seeking about N8 billion to teach Nigerians how to pay electricity bill. It is, therefore, not surprising that power grid collapse is now constant, as it has continued to succumb to greed and crass incompetence.

 

“If the Ministry of Power is manned by competent officials, the now embarrassing constant grid collapse would have been averted, instead of the worrying statement by the minister that this will continue as if this has always been the norm.

 

‘’We believe this is a clear admission of incapacity and failure by the ministry and we wonder why they would not do the honourable thing by resigning.

 

“It has to be noted that the number of times the national grid has collapsed under these helmsmen is more than all the previous leaders in the history of our nation combined. Rather than the garrulous remarks, Nigerians expect more seriousness in handling their affairs.

 

“It is unimaginable that NERC colluded with deafening silence with the board of one of the DISCOs to sack its managing director for exposing the unethical practices in the DISCO. Whistle blowing, as far as NERC is concerned, has become an offence, so instead of an organisation that is supposed to reward and protect a whistleblower, it rather connived to punish and sack the official.

 

“It is on this basis that we express our profound disappointment and outrage at the absurd quest for allocation of about N8 billion in the 2025 federal budget for the so-called ‘sensitisation of Nigerians on the need to pay electricity bills,’ as disclosed by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during his recent budget defence in the National Assembly.”

 

“We call on the National Assembly to rise to its constitutional duty as the custodian of the people’s interests by removing this disgraceful allocation from the budget. Furthermore, we demand a comprehensive audit of the entire power sector budget and others to unearth other potential avenues for corruption and financial recklessness.

 

“Our position on this is clear, we will not stand idly by while public funds are wasted in the name of governance. This is another glaring reminder of why Nigeria remains in its current state of economic stagnation and why incompetence continues to thrive unchecked. ‘’We warn that failure to address this issue will further erode public confidence in government institutions and exacerbate the already dire socio-economic conditions facing millions of Nigerians.”

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