The struggle, the group said, should also demand a reversal of the tariff hike, a reversal of privatization of the power sector, massive public investment and democratic control by workers and consumers.

The group made the call in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Comrade Chinedu Bosah, and made available to FrontPage.

The group said the imposition of the hike in electricity tariff for Band A consumers by a whopping 230% – from N68 Kwh to N225 Kwh was provocative.

The group said the hike in the tariff would have a devastating effect on the generality of Nigerians contrary to the explanation by the government that it was exclusively for the rich.

Said the group: “According to NERC, this tariff hike affects about 15% of the total consumers and is targeted at the so-called rich people. The reality is that there is hardly any community which is exclusively for the rich. These communities have many workers, pensioners and urban poor people who are residents or shop owners and will be affected adversely. Besides, this tariff which affects many big companies will translate into higher cost of production or business and be passed on to workers and the poor as higher prices of goods and services. As a result, the current cost of living crises will be further aggravated, potentially throwing more working people into poverty. Therefore, the new tariff should be rejected by working people and youth. Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) condemns this hike and demand reversal.

“Electricity for industries and many businesses in Nigeria reportedly constitute 40% or more of the total cost compared to 10% in China. This huge cost is one major reason many companies closed down and relocated abroad contributing to a high unemployment rate. Hence, it is not true that the outrageous tariff hike for Band A will exclusively affect the rich and middle class, it will also affect workers and the poor. This anti-poor Tinubu-led government is all out to protect the profit and greed of a few while it cares less about Nigerian workers and the poor.”

The group said the agenda was also to create an apartheid-styled electricity distribution system entrenched in massive exploitation.

It said that meant that communities dominated by the middle class and the rich would get 20 hours or more electricity daily while communities dominated by workers and the poor get little or no electricity daily.

“In this type of unfair, discriminative electricity supply, Band A which constitutes about 15% may get about 50% or more of the electricity supply while 85% of the other consumers may get less than 50% of the electricity supplied.”

It added: “The power sector was built and funded by Nigerian taxpayers which include Nigerian workers and the poor but it is a case of robbing Peter (workers/poor) to pay Paul (the rich). Every Nigerian deserves equal, affordable and uninterrupted power supply irrespective of social status. The government can tax the rich progressively more than the workers but social amenities like education, healthcare, electricity etc., must be distributed equally to all.”

The group advised that “Given the obvious failure of privatization, there is an urgent need to re-nationalise the power sector, bring it under public ownership and be subjected to democratic control and management of the working masses with the view to ushering in massive public investment that will drive the cost of electricity down and making it affordable in the long run for most Nigerian consumers while electricity consumed by the poorest is subsidized.

“Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) calls on the trade union leadership and leaders of pro-masses organisations to mobilise workers and community people for a struggle to resist both the current and planned electricity tariff hike. The struggle should also demand a reversal of the tariff hike, a reversal of privatization of the power sector, massive public investment and democratic control by workers and consumers.”

The post Electricity tariff: Union leaders, others should resist hike -Group appeared first on Frontpageng.

It also called on the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, to mobilise the working class and the poor masses to reverse privatization and deregulation policies.

CARE made the calls in a statement issued by Chinedu Bosah and Shoyombo Monsuru, national coordinator and secretary respectively, and made available to FrontPage.

The group said it was unfortunate that the nation had been thrown into darkness in the last three weeks.

The statement reads:

“Many communities have been thrown into darkness in the last three weeks due to poor electricity supply. Though no official reason has been given for this crisis, it could be system collapse as regard transmission and generation or power outage due to poor distribution network and infrastructure. The hardship is unbearable considering the fact that the only alternative for a number of people is the reliance on private expensive electricity generation through generator sets.  Sadly, the ongoing fuel scarcity has made it extremely difficult to generate electricity at homes and businesses and as a consequence, the cost of living has skyrocketed. It is unthinkable that we are having this crisis despite a global comparative advantage Nigeria is supposed to have in electricity vis-a-vis gas, abundant solar, wind and hydro reserves while it is also a major crude oil producer.

“Since November 2013 when the power sector was privatized, the story has been constant darkness, tariff hikes, outrageous estimated (crazy) billings and bailout of irresponsible and inefficient power sector companies. Between 2005 the process of privatizing began and today, over $15 billion has been expended on the power sector including the senseless bailouts. The power sector requires massive investment and democratic management, however, the ruling elite is only interested in investing public funds in order to make it continuously profitable for the private profiteers. It appears that the more tariff is hiked, the more the power companies and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) are motivated to fail. The fact is that the power companies are not prepared to improve the electricity supply because they are assured of profit without investment. For instance, the reckless manner the Ibadan Distribution Company directors mismanaged the recent bailouts of N6 billion shows how corrupt these private companies are and yet, nobody has been arrested and prosecuted.

“The current fuel scarcity and poor electricity supply are further evidence of the failure of the Buhari-led regime and the capitalist policies (privatization, deregulation etc).  These two sectors are overwhelmingly under the control of the private sector profiteers with the self-serving government playing a bell boy role as so-called regulator. Privatisation and deregulation have only put more money in the pockets of a few privileged and greedy individuals leaving the vast majority of the working masses in more misery and crises. The irony of it all is that the same Buhari-led capitalist government often claims paucity of funds when it comes to public education, healthcare and basic amenities and as a result these critical sectors are underfunded. Besides, the government keep borrowing trillions of Naira only to squander most of it including public funds generated on white elephant projects and bailout of weak and inefficient private companies and capitalist elite.

“Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) calls on Nigerian workers and electricity consumers across communities to resist tariff increment and struggle for massive public investment, free prepaid meters for all consumers and uninterrupted power supply.

“The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) must end their strategic partnership with the self-serving bourgeois ruling elite and mobilize the working class and the poor masses to reverse the privatization and deregulation policies.

“Fundamentally, the way forward is the renationalization (public ownership) of the power and oil sectors, massive public investments and democratic control and management by the working class and consumers.”

The post Electricity: Resist tariff increment, CARE charges Nigerian workers appeared first on Frontpageng.

EKEDC was said to have unlawfully disconnected electricity supply to the communities because the communities resisted billing for the period of three months electricity was not supplied.

In a statement issued by CARE national coordinator, Chinedu Bosah and national secretary, Shoyombo Monsuru, the communities affected are listed as Aiyetoro, Alayabiagba, Okorogbo, Ugbowankwo Lane, Tunkarimu, Olubokola, Iyalode, Odofin, Ijora and Bale.

CARE explained that the Apapa TCN 45 MKV Transformer broke down on May 17, 2020 and supply of electricity was not restored until August 21.

The disruption in power supply affected the stated communities, the group said.

EKEDC was however said to have circulated electricity bills for May 2020, June 2020 and July 2020, the three months period there was no electricity supply, to the affected residents.

CARE said the communities’ residents staged a peaceful mass protest on Thursday, August 27, 2020 in response to the unlawful and exploitative billing.

In order to force the unwarranted bills down the residents’ throat, EKEDC was reported to have unlawfully and callously disconnected the communities on Friday, August 28, 2020.

“The disconnection of the communities in issue is unjust, illegal and violates the rights of the affected residents to electricity.

“Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) condemns this mass disconnection.

“CARE demands the immediate and unconditional reconnection of the communities plunged in darkness. It is worth mentioning that EKEDC engages in outrageous estimated billing, extortion of the electricity consumers, refusal to install functional distribution facilities and infrastructure, refusal to issue prepaid meters to consumers, etc.,” the group said.

“We call on the Ministry of Power and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to call EKEDC to order. We also support all peaceful actions of the affected communities in the struggle for affordable and regular electricity supply. We call on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to mobilise Nigerians to resist the exploitation of EKEDC, other Electricity Distribution Companies and the Generating Companies, and fight for regular and affordable electricity supply,” CARE said.

The post Lagos: Restore electricity in Ajegunle communities, CARE warns EKEDC appeared first on Frontpageng.

The group said from all indications, there was no concrete plan to resolve the estimated billing policy which had led to the exploitation of the masses.

The position of the group was expressed in a statement issued on Sunday by its national co-ordiantor, Mr. Chinedu Bosah  and the national secretary, Mr. Shoyombo Monsuru.

CARE argued that the only thing government stated in response to estimated billing was the president’s approved waiver of import levy on meters, which it said was incapable of metering 5 million consumers.

Said the group: “We want to remind Nigerians that the Meter Asset Providers, MAP, have been licensed by NERC and the federal government to sell meters to Nigerians at exorbitant prices and this policy is still in place.

“For instance, Ikeja Electric has hiked the price of meter from N39,765.86 and N72,085.68 for single-phase and three-phase metres respectively to N48,263.37 and N89,063.33. Going by these exorbitant and unwarranted charges, it is clear that the vast majority who are suffering under the weight of the rising cost of living engendered by anti-poor and neo-liberal policies will not be able to procure these meters.”

The group said it maintained its earlier position that the provision of meters was the sole responsibility of the Distribution Companies because it was a means of measuring supply and should not be the responsibility of the consumers who pay for electricity consumed.

It said besides, the cost of metering had been embedded in the tariff hike of MYTO 2012 that came into effect on June 1, 2012.

“How on earth the government and NERC turned 180 degrees and came out with a policy that unjustly forces the consumers to pay for meters is mindboggling? This shows the level of travesty and crude exploitation; President Buhari or NERC has not reversed the MAP policy and has not stated clearly how it wants to meter 5 million households either. This pronouncement is one of the many wishful thinking meant to play to the gallery and deceive Nigerians,” the group said.

“On tariff reviews, President Buhari and NERC have not reversed or canceled the new tariff but only suspended it till January 2021 on the persuasion of the National Assembly in June 2020. The service-based tariff principles being espoused by President Buhari and NERC is already being implemented by the Distribution Companies across the federation.

“For instance, Ikeja Electric runs a policy called Premium Power that gives much more regular electricity supply of 20 hours on the average and customers are made to pay as high as N55 per kilowatt. Premium Power targets rich neighbourhoods like Magodo, Hiltop Estate etc., while the poorer communities are condemned to darkness. “Service-based principles negate the principles of fairness and equality, it is apartheid, it is discriminatory and it violates section 14, 15, 17 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution as well as Section 76 (2e) of Electric Power Sector Reform Act, 2005 which outlaws any form of undue discrimination between electricity consumers and other electricity consumer categories including discrimination of any kind,” CARE added.

The group said electricity sector had gulped over $25 billion public funds since 2005 without any meaningful improvement.

According to it, most of the public funds had only fattened the bank accounts of the rich few, particularly the private electricity companies and the cronies in government.

It said should the huge funds be utilized efficiently, the power sector would have been improved considerably with its attendant drastic improvement in electricity supply and affordability in the tariff.

It declared: “Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) demands the reversal of the power sector privatization, because as usual, it serves the interest of a few at the expense of the vast majority; we demand affordable tariff; we demand mass public investment in the power sector and issuance of prepaid meters to all at no cost to consumers.

“To bring about transparency and efficiency, we demand the renationalisation of the power sector under democratic control and management of workers and consumers.”

The post Buhari’s order for mass metering to end estimated billing, a ruse –CARE appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is as the group also described the proposed hike in electricity tariff as reckless and unjustifiable.

CARE also dismissed the power sector privatisation by the government as a ruse and only meant to make a few privileged people super richer at the expense of consumers.

The positions taken by CARE are contained in a statement signed by its National Co-ordinator, Chinedu Bosah, and National Secretary, Shoyombo Monsuru.

The statement reads in full:

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Buhari-led federal government are hell-bent on increasing electricity tariff tomorrow April 1, 2020. This planned hike demonstrates the height of insensitivity and the anti-poor character of Buhari government considering the rising cost of living, the growing rate of poverty, the negative economic disruption of COVID-19 on the lives of the working masses. Despite the partial and full lockdown across the country as a result of COVID-19, no serious palliative or beneficial program for the masses has been implemented by the federal and state governments. In view of the current realities, we demand free electricity or largely subsidize the cost for the working class and the poor to cushion the effect of the economic crises in this period of COVID-19 crises.  

Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) condemns NERC and the Buhari-led government for their desperation to hike tariff considering the global economic crises. We have always maintained that the power sector privatization is a ruse and only meant to make a few privileged people super richer at the expense of consumers, and that is what is playing out graphically.

We insist that the increment which is between 40% and 90% depending on the division of consumption is reckless and unjustifiable.

There is no justification for incessant tariff hike had it been the $20 billion public invested in the power sector was adequately utilized and the private sectors profiteers (DISCOS and GENCOS) had invested considerably. Rather than hikes in tariff, the price would have come down because the significant investment would have provided better power facilities/infrastructure and ushered in efficiency and effectiveness. The bane of the power sector is lack of funding and democratic management of the funds; hence, privatization of the sector is doing more harm because the primary reason is to profit and not to improve the sector.

The Distribution Companies and the Generation Companies have failed woefully and incessant hikes in tariff and bailouts are reward and compensation for failure. We demand the reversal of the privatization policy, renationalize the power sector, introduce massive public funding and introduce democratic management of workers and consumers. We also demand the issuance of free prepaid meters to all that needs it.

CARE calls on community people, activists, pro-labour organisations, trade unions and their leaders to begin the mobilization of Nigerian people to resist this senseless and extortionist policy.

The post COVID-19: Govt should provide free or subsidized electricity –CARE appeared first on Frontpageng.