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| Photo credit: The Campaigner Davy Fidel, Freelancer |
Ajegunle - Wednesday 16 June 2021, a group of communities under the aegis of Coalition for Affordable Regular Electricity, CARE, organize a mass sensitization rally to reject the new hike in electricity tariff to take effect on July 1, 2021.
The group kick off the rally at exactly 10:30 am at a convergence point in the suburb of Ajegunle. Different organizations like MSA, Landlord and Tenant Association of Nigeria, Ajeromi Ifelodun Community Movement, etc fully participated in the rally.
The purpose of the campaign was to sensitize the electricity consumers especially the working masses, paying through their nose, to begin to initiate mass meetings in their respective neighborhoods to reject the new increment.
Most importantly, to call for total reversal and also demand through mass actions the re-nationalization of the power sector. Thousand of the joint leaflets produced; titled: "Enough is Enough" were massively circulated.
According to the leaflet circulated, "facilities and power infrastructure are in decrepit condition. Sadly, most of the electricity workers are casual workers and poorly paid. Hence, we are paying for darkness and poor services?"
Also, "increments in electricity tariff are not the first time. However, what has given birth to it is failed government policies. The failure of Nigeria to generate 24/7 regular electricity is because of PRIVATIZATION."
The rally has the coloration of different community activists organizing in their respective streets that joined in the sensitization including MSA members. There was mass support especially from market women, youth, commuters, and residents paying crazy bills.
A lot of people who collected the "Enough is Enough" leaflets including the one of MSA produced to show solidarity titled: "Time to Organise and Say#Nototariffhike#Endprivatisation#Renationalisepowernow expresses anger against the hike.
Some of the persons who engaged MSA members asked questions about what they should do to reject the increments. The comrades advice them that they should call for a mass meeting in their neighborhood to discuss the issue and resolved how to organize reject the increment.
The subsequent plan of action of the coalition is to comb other communities in the local government. About thirty streets were covered and the sensitization rally shall be organized for four weeks, that is, three days interval with leaflets before declaring for protest action.
MSA was fully on the ground to show solidarity and participated in the rally. No contacts were made, however, 18 copies of the May/June of MSA paper were sold in the sum of N1800. Hundreds of the MSA recent leaflets were massively circulated.
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