The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank of being responsible for the power sector crisis in Nigeria. This comes as employees of the power sector call for a total review of the power sector privatization, stating that the process was a huge failure that did not meet the expectations of Nigerians.
During the 7th Quadrennial/12 Delegates Conference of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) held in Enugu, the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, expressed his concerns that Nigeria is still generating very low megawatts of electricity. He emphasized that no country can develop without sufficient electricity and highlighted that despite billions of Naira invested in the power sector over the years, Nigeria is still struggling with only 4,000 megawatts of electricity.
Ajaero blamed the power sector crisis in Nigeria on the IMF and World Bank, alleging that they want Nigeria to remove subsidies on electricity, just as they advised Nigeria to remove fuel subsidy and devalue the Naira. He questioned the interest of these international financial institutions and suggested that they should also advise America to remove subsidies on wheat.
In his welcome address, the President of NUEE, Martin Uzoegwu, urged the Federal Government to promote and utilize the abundant renewable energy resources in the country, and to abandon the use of fossil fuels. He believes that this shift will enhance power generation in Nigeria and reduce the effects of climate change.
Uzoegwu called for a total review of the privatization of the power sector, stating that the exercise was a huge failure that did not meet the expectations of Nigerians in terms of energy demands and tariffs. He condemned the government for not regulating the energy sector, allowing investors to exploit Nigerians. He also lamented that Nigerians are forced to pay for darkness while the so-called investors smile to the banks.