BREAKING: Tension As NLC, TUC Members Block Disco HQ, NERC Offices, Staff Stranded

Members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Plateau State and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) mobilized on Monday, blocking the entrance of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company headquarters in Jos, the state capital.

Simultaneously, union members picketed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) offices at the Gold and Base axis in Jos, leaving employees stranded.

Eugene Mangji, the State Chairman of the NLC, leading the protest, stated in Jos, “We have shut down the NERC office at Gold and Base. Right now, we are at the JED headquarters at the Ahmadu Bello Way. We will continue until the right thing is done.”

The NLC and TUC had earlier issued an ultimatum to NERC, demanding the withdrawal of the recent electricity tariff hike by May 12, 2024, or face unprecedented industrial action.

In a joint letter to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NERC, dated May 3, 2024, and copied to key officials including Joe Ajaero, President of NLC, and Festus Osifo, TUC President, the unions expressed grave concerns about the tariff hike.

The letter read, “We believe that this decision is not just morally reprehensible considering the difficulties Nigerians are faced with currently, but it blatantly disregards fundamental principles and statutory obligations.”

It further stated, “We demand an immediate reversal of the hike in electricity tariff to N65/kwh, immediate cessation of the discriminatory practice of segregating electricity consumers into arbitrary bands, and restoration of the supremacy of the statutes governing the conduct of operators within the electricity industry.

“We give you until Sunday, May 12, 2024, to comply. Failure to do so will result in swift and decisive action on our part as we will not hesitate to mobilize our members and occupy all NERC’s offices and those of the DisCos nationwide until justice is served.”