By Joan Nwagwu
Abuja – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has advised the Federal Government to reverse the 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) as ordered by the court.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on July 14, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered the NERC to reverse the tariff increase it imposed on Nigerians, saying the commission flouted due procedure in effecting the increase.
NLC General Secretary Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, who made the appeal in an interview with NAN in Abuja on Tuesday, described the non-reversal of the court order by NERC as violation of “the highest order’’.
“Again we are back to the issue of the rule of law.
“A court gives judgment and we are not complying; the government is not complying and government agencies are not complying.
“That is an endangerment of the democratic environment that we are in, because if government and its agencies can so easily flout court directives, then it is a jungle (we’re in).
“And before you know it, there can be a total collapse of the underlying foundations of the rule of law.
“Our position is that now that the court has so pronounced, the government needs to get NERC to implement the court decision by rolling back that increased. ’’
Ozo-Eson recalled that the 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff was declared illegal by a Federal High Court with competent jurisdiction and had ordered NERC for a reversal.
He said that NERC had refused to adhere to the Court’s order.
According to him, rather than obey the order of the court, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors; an umbrella body for the DISCOs is canvassing for 200 per cent increase in the tariff.
He said the violation by the government agency was unfortunate and unhealthy for the democratic growth of the country and should not to be taken lightly.
He said that it was scandalous that eight months after the hike in electricity tariff and years after the privatisation of public electricity, the country still falls short of enough electricity.
The NLC general secretary noted that power stability was important and critical to industrialisation, self-sufficiency and economic growth of the nation.
“We must not allow this and we reject their proposal in its totality because it would amount to crude exploitation and insensitivity.
“We therefore reiterate our demand for full adherence to the judgment of the Federal High Court that the increase in electricity tariff should be reversed immediately.’’
