A coalition of electricity unions and Civil Society Organisations, has urged the Nigerian Senate to call for a public hearing on the power sector’s performance since 2013.
The coalition comprised the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), and the Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF).
In a statement issued by the Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor, in Abuja, the coalition decried the deteriorating electricity situation in the country.
“We want the senate to immediately convene a public hearing and invite Nigerians to relate their experiences in the last 12 years of the electricity sector privatisation,” he said.
Jakpor said that the coalition had written to the Nigerian Senate on Monday, expressing their concern on the deplorable state of the power sector, particularly its privatisation.
He stated that the Initiative has been ineffective, as evidenced by the continuous power grid collapses, which have become an embarrassment to the nation.
“The electricity sector privatisation has failed Nigeria’s over 230 million people with power generation still oscillating between 4,000 Megawatt (MW) and 5,800 MW, in addition to incessant power grid collapse which is now a huge embarrassment to the nation,” he said.
He said that the resolution of the coalition was reached after its symposium on the ‘Socio-Economic and Political Implications of Privatisation of Public Assets and the Way Forward’ in December 2024.
According to him, during the meeting, they reviewed the report from the Senate Committee on Power, which investigated frequent national grid collapses and related issues, and concluded that the sector was in turmoil.
He said that the coalition noted that the hike in electricity tariffs and the categorisation of Nigerians into electricity bands have equally created an unnecessary class system in society.
“As a result of these, Nigerians are forced to depend on electric generators at huge financial, environmental and health costs,” he said.
“Another key demand is a halt to World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggested initiatives on privatising Nigeria’s public assets under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) or any model that places profits over service delivery and human rights,” he said.
He said that the coalition, instead, is seeking the adoption of the Public-Public-Partnership model, which has proven to be successful, as opposed to privatisation, which they described as inefficient.
He added that privatisation has become a conduit pipe to fleece the nation.
According to him, a sustained investment in human capital development in the public sector will pave the way for efficiency and transparency in their operations.
He stated that the coalition also calls for an end to practices that unfairly target workers during exercises aimed at strengthening government institutions, saying, instead, workers should be regularly trained and assessed based on their performance.
NAN recalls that the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, stated that when President Bola Tinubu’s administration took office, power generation stagnated at about 4,000 MW.
He said since then, more than 1,000 megawatts had been added to the grid, bringing the total to 5,528 MW.
