REJECT THE 100% TARIFF HIKE AND DEMAND ELECTRICITY IS RE-NATIONALIZED

Photo Credit: LIFEINSLUM

By Davy Fidel 

(Freelancer/Writer)

Eight years after the power sector was privatized, there hasn't been any improvement in the supply of electricity to millions of households in Nigeria. Rather, megawatts have continued to drop rapidly. On most occasions, it is between 4000MWs to 5000MWs for a population of 200 million. This is the highest ever generated and supplied by the Generating and Distribution Companies since November 2013.

According to Business Insider Africa, it was revealed globally, among the 759 million people who don't have access to electricity, Nigeria is among the top three Sub-Sahara countries after DRC and Ethiopia that people lack access to a regular supply of electricity. Compare to the 70 million (DRC) and 58 million (Ethiopia), about 90 million Nigeria electricity consumers, proportionally the exploited, are denied power as a basic necessity.  

This is despite the several bailouts the Federal Government has package as sausage pie since the sector was sold to the private tycoons. Recently, "FG boosts power supply with N1.3tr as DisCos remit N26.8 billion" (Guardian 10/9/21). This is on top of the several bailouts, yet, the sector remained epileptic. The worst story to tell is that the Discos' operating capitalist agenda is generating tripled from the darkness supplied.

Only in 2019, the Discos' generated the sum of "N473 billion" from the estimated billing and supply of darkness. In addition, this is to this sad novel to read. It was said by Vanguard (4/4/21) between "September to November 2020 saw total revenue of N137.57 billion" and "December 2020 to February 2021, saw total revenue of N184.26 billion." These are profits generated from the hike of electricity tariff. 

And those, who are metered or not are paying, triple through the obnoxious increase of tariff.  The Meter Assess Provider is an example to have defrauded millions of unmetered consumers. Since this program was initiated by the government through NERC, nothing fundamentally has changed. Electricity consumers largely made of the working masses are paying through the "hot gate" for supply that is less than ten hours.

Nigeria lawmakers have made several laws to criminalize estimated billings that are astronomical. However, these laws are oil fires can't be lit because of the controversy. It is a complete stalemate. The capitalist politicians in government have not in any way implement policies that will serve the interest of the working masses. Rather, it has continued as government to ensure the private owners that bought the sector flourish in business.

The recent government plan to "electrify 5m Households by 2030" (bizwaternigeria. ng) is a complete hullabaloo.  With the crossbow policy of the government, the question to ask, through what policy will this be achieved when the government: then and now; have successfully implemented neo-liberal policies to increase the pocket of the Discos and Gencos? The government declaring this statement should not be taken seriously. 

This is the same government in January 2021 that gave the Discos' the sole right to increase electricity tariff, Festus Keyamo denied. Electricity consumers - the working masses - undergoing the economic hardship of this government rooted in capitalism, should not in any account believe the government propaganda. Rather, the campaign against privatization and ultimately for the power sector to be re-nationalized must be consistent.

The New Blast to Resist

If by January 2022 the removal of subsidy from the power sector takes effect the government has claimed and pronounced; electricity tariff is expected to skyrocket to 100%. This increase shall be disastrous and is going to hit the working masses badly, whose survival depends on electricity despite the poor supply by the profiteers their bank account gets fatten monthly through the estimated billings. 

By consequence, it will mean electricity charges will be hundred times double compare to the unlawful tariff, implemented 12 months ago the Discos' are operating: N42 per Kw/h. It will also mean more money for the profiteers at the expense of millions of electricity consumers metered or yet to be meter, to be paying for what is exploitative and profitable to the Discos' supplying darkness.

The government through its Special Adviser to the President on infrastructure, Ahmed Zakari had it clear that the "federal government intends to reduce its interventions in the Power Sector and thus allow the electricity market to run on its own, thereby allowing the market participants to determine the course of Action” (platformsafrica.com). If this scale through, electricity charges will be 100 times higher to afford. 

The Past and Now: What We Need to Do?

Electricity consumers should know between the past and now, nothing fundamentally has changed since the power sector was privatized. The situation has gone from bad to an unbearable nightmare. The hike in electricity tariff shall continue as far the government continues implementing neo-liberal policies. 

Without an industrial action from the labor leaders to force the government, not only to reverse the obnoxious hike in tariff but to demand power be re-nationalized under workers and the mass management and control; nothing fundamentally will change. Although, pockets of struggles in different communities including organized campaigns have won some concessions, something that must be commendable. 

However, the electricity consumers must begin to use this pocket of campaigns and initiatives to challenge the labour leaders to step up and organize the underground agitations against crazy bills and exploitation by the profit organizations. In this vein, workers in the electricity sector – casuals and contract staff – must also be organized under clear programs to resist the privatization policy, putting plenty of money into the pocket of the Discos'.

There will be no doubt that the reversal of tariff hike, regular supply, massive investment in the sector, end to casualization, and contract staff would come to an end without challenging the capitalist system. It is only by organizing actions of workers and community resistance, will tariff hikes be reversed. The re-nationalization of the sector under the management of workers and the working masses is a socialist demand and it must be canvass. 

Demands against crazy bills, irregular supply, exploitation of electricity consumers, the 100% tariff hike, etc must link ultimately to socialist demands. Through this, it will help to demand sharply an end to the system of profit, which has given rise to the massive exploitation of electricity consumers and more money to the Discos' and Gencos' despite the so-called NERC regulations, claiming to regulate the profiteers dredging the Nigerian people.