NEW TARIFF HIKE WILL ONLY INCREASE PROFIT FOR DISCOs NOT ELECTRICITY

 

Davy Fidel (Freelancer)

Few days after the end of year, 2020. On January 5, 2021; the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, shock electricity consumers - Nigerians - with a new declaration to increase electricity tariff. This declaration for new increment by NERC came by way of an article titled: "FG increases electricity tariff again" (Punch January 5, 2021).

Punch stated in her report that the "new tariff would be effective till June 2021 while a Cost Reflective Tariff would be activated from June to December 2021", which was the posit of NERC and on their part, justifying why the Federal Government has taken the bold step to increase electricity tariff, in respective of the plight of the working masses 

Spoke person of the Federal Government, Mr. Festus Keyamo has come out publicly to denied any increment. The Minister in Punch (5/1/2021) said "FG didn’t increase electricity tariffs, only adjusted bands." That what the government has only done was to "freeze certain bands", assuring Nigerians that immediately a "cost reflective tariff" is agreed upon, a fix amount shall be announced by his office. 

However, Nigerians especially the working masses should not be lead into the ash tray of deception, by the sugar coated words of the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, saying electricity consumers should expect something affordable. Although, the "cost reflective tariff" and the new increment, NERC in her report has tried to excuse it. However, denying any such increment is not for the best interest of the working masses. 

This increment is to put more money into the pocket of the Disco as capitalist organizations, massively benefitting from the privatization of the power sector. From clear indications, the Nigerian ruling elites are not ready to revamp the power sector via implementing policies that will improve the lot of the working masses and industrialized the  economic.

The wave of the corona virus, which was a hit to the Nigerian economy since the spread, in addition, the current recession the economy is into; confirms that capitalist politicians in Nigeria are  only been interested in adding more hardships to the already over burden Nigerian people, who in the four month lock down and the spreading of corona virus, are still rolling out policies to dig more graves for Nigerians. 

This new electricity tariff is just one of the many attacks the government is releasing as grenade on Nigerians.  More neoliberal attacks are in the brief case of the Nigerian government courtesy PRIVATIZATION. This is what capitalism is all about. A system that is only interested in making life hard and difficult for millions of Nigerians, who are still struggling to crawl out from the pit of both the lock down and economic realities.

Emphatically, only in the last four years, increment in electricity tariff has jump to 300%. In fact, "between 2015 and 2019, the average electricity tariff climbed from N12kWh to about N32kWh." (Punch, 28 August, 2019). And with this recent increment, it is expected to get worse via the estimated billing, which might be 100% compared by the unjust crazy bills the Disco are supplying electricity consumers. 

PRIVATIZATION IS NOT WORKING ONLY FEEDING THE DISCOS'

Since the privatization of the power sector in 2013, megawatts has remained the same. In fact, compare to other countries in the world, Nigeria is ranked 171 out of the 190 countries in the world, where people don't have access to electricity. Since the Gencos' and Discos' took over, megawatts has always remained between 3000 to 5000mw. Sometimes, it drop to "Zero" megawatts. 

The challenge before this sector is privatization, a capitalist policy that says the STATE don't have business in addressing industrial matters in the economy, unless it is profit organizations, whose only philosophy is to make profit at the expense of the electricity users. This has been the hard truth like swinging hammer facing us all, in the perspective of socialists and community activists has argued privatization is a by-product of capitalism. 

Shockingly, in 2014 to 2019 alone, This Day (June 9, 2019) reveals that the "Discos’ Collections Rise to N831bn in Two Years" out of the set target of N1.3 trillion from electricity consumers. Only in Q2, 2017 and Q1, 2018; the collection rise to 62%. Also, in Q2, 2018 and Q1, 2019; it was reveal to be 66%. Only in 2019, according to Nairametrics (8/3/2020) the Discos "earn(ed) N473 billion" from estimated billing. 

In addition, the privatization exercise is double edge sword, not only in fattening the bank account of the DISCOS' but also casualisation of electricity workers. Emphatically, since the privatization of the power sector, compare to when it was under government management: NEPA. Hundreds and thousands of the electricity workers are casuals. 

In the eleven Discos' less than 35% of the work force are trained. This is to show what the Discos' and the Gencos' all these years have been enjoying from the rot philosophy of privatization and deregulation. The hard is privatization isn't working. It is only an agenda that only enrich the Disco. The new increments declared by the FG confirms it. 

ONLY MASS ACTION CAN FORCE TOTAL REVERSAL

In moving forward, only a mass action of pro-labour, socialist activists and the Nigerian masses can force the Buhari regime to reverse the new hike. Without mass actions of peaceful demonstrations, picketing, protests, community campaigns and social media outcry with hastag like #EndTariffHike, #EndPrivatization, #Endcrazybills etc should be use to rally Nigerians against the increment.

We must as working people get organized as the ruling elites are organized too. We must begin to realize that the government of the day and any other led regime after 2023, shall not definitely represent our interests as working people. We must begin to orient our struggles towards seeing that our destiny to liberate this country lies in our hands: workers, young people and the masses. 

We should not be deceived that protest don't work. That it is an old fashioned of struggle as some propagandists are mega-phoning. Protest is our rights and we must use it to organize ourselves, push our position and programme to win concession in order to record success in our struggles against capitalism. Ultimately, to fight for a new better socialist society through a revolutionary struggle to replace capitalism. 

Above all, in this fight to force for total reversal for the new hike of electricity tariff. The labour leaders - NLC, TUC - must be challenged. They must wake up from their historical responsibility, by declaring for a day of action to reject this increment, before the working masses begin to see them as controversial traditional organizations, not interested in challenging the policies of government. 

The NLC, TUC should not only call for a nation wide action for just reversal, but also demand with organized industrial actions via picketing the re-nationalisation of the power sector under the democratic management and control of workers and the masses, which has been the yearning of millions of working people and electricity consumers, since the privatization of the power sector seven years ago.