Electricity Tariffs: RSM Calls On Nigerian Labour To Begin Mass Protests Against Tinubu Government

The recent increase in electricity tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has been denounced by the Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) as yet another policy detrimental to the poor.

The new tariff was announced on Wednesday, April 3 and took off with immediate effect.

The new tariff represented over a 330% increment for consumers under the Band A tariff category from N68/Kwh to N225/Kwh.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had during a briefing in Abuja said the recent increase in electricity tariff was a pilot in phasing out of electricity subsidy in the country.

He said the government planned to remove all subsidies in the sector to allow the thriving of investment in the power sector.

However the RSM in a statement by Salako Kayode, its Publicity Secretary on Thursday asserted that this was not the first time subsidies would be removed under the Tinubu regime.

The group explained that the Tinubu-led Nigerian government first removed subsidies on PMS which supervised a huge 350% increment in the price of PMS and automatically a rise in the cost of transportation, goods, and services and general cost of living.

It called on the NLC and TUC and other affiliates union to take the struggle forward, beyond mere press statements, stating that the unions need to start organising and mobilising the workers for a mass protest to challenge the insensitivity of the Tinubu-led regime.

The statement reads in parts; "As we warned during that period, the removal of subsidies without a clear plan of activities will only add to the already heavy burden of the working people. Unfortunately, the leadership of the labour movement did not lead the workers to demand a return of the subsidy but instead negotiated for a paltry, temporal wage award of N35,000. 

"Again, the Tinubu-led Federal Government was struck with the floating of Naira. Again, we warned that an economy like that of Nigeria that depends solely on importation cannot completely float its currency to compete in the international market.

"The singular act saw the Naira value move from around N700 per dollar to N1,900 per dollar, signalling an average of 271% reduction in the value of Naira in the international market. This, again, caused a super-inflation in the cost of staple foods and household items and led to another resistance of the working people tagged the ‘EndHunger’ protest. Although the Naira has started appreciating over the past few days this has been at the expense of the country’s foreign reserve.

"As if all of these are not enough, the irresponsive Tinubu government has again decided to remove the subsidy on electricity! This means that the government is gradually putting an end to all of the benefits that the common and ordinary people enjoy from the government.

"The same Tinubu government that cannot guarantee the safety of her citizens, or provide grants for academic advancements believes that the only way to a better life is by retracting all the national benefits in terms of subsidies and subjecting the people to more hardship of high cost of living and economic uncertainty.

"The truth is that this policy would further impoverish Nigerians who are currently battling the hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal and the devaluation of naira. The government’s decision to increase electricity tariffs is insensitive. In reality, the effect of this policy will affect the workers more the price of goods and services will go up while their wages remain unchanged.

"Even if the salary is slightly improved in the upcoming salary review program, the private and self-owned businesses, farmers, traders and the toiling people will have little or nothing to benefit from. It will similarly make the operating environment more hostile for manufacturers and small-scale businesses and may lead to more closures and loss of jobs.

"We at the Revolutionary Socialist Movement strongly believe that this anti-poor policy is targeted at widening the gap between the rich and the poor. It is aimed at putting more money into the pockets of the DISCO who have, since  taking over the electricity sector, done nothing to improve the overall supply and delivery of power to Nigerians.

"The solution to the unending crisis in the power sector is singular; the re-nationalization of the power sector under the democratic control and management of the working people. Ever since the privatization of the power sector, Nigeria has spent trillions of Naira on bailouts and subsidies for private companies with nothing to show for it.

"Even, the implementation of a pay-as-you-go (prepaid) system has not been effective because of the greed of the DISCOs. Nigerians keep paying for darkness while the rich private holders of the distributions, transmission and generations companies keep allocating millions of naira to themselves as salaries.

"The continuous collapse of the national grid is another talking point. Between January 2024 and March 2024 alone, the national grid has collapsed 5 times, throwing the entire county into darkness. In September 2023 alone, 3 power grid collapses were recorded within 5 days. On December 12, 2023, the national grid collapsed from 4,000MW to 43MW. This is a further indication that privatization will not work and that the power sector should be re-nationalised put under public ownership and be subjected to the democratic control and management of the working people.

"This is when we can start to use the available resources to meet the genuine needs and aspirations of the vast majority of Nigerians. Furthermore, this will drive down the cost of electricity  as the hands of the big men profiteers would have been eliminated  and make it affordable for all Nigerians.

We call on the NLC and TUC as well as the affiliates union to take this struggle forward, beyond mere press statements. The unions need to start organising and mobilising the workers for a mass protest to challenge the insensitivity of the Tinubu-led regime.

"This kind of struggle should not be limited to the reversal of electricity tariffs alone but also to the renationalisation of the power sector. When a genuine struggle like this commences, we of the RSM will mobilise our forces and participate actively in it."