…says no going back on new tariff
hike
 |
| Executive Director, ANED Mr. Sunday Oduntan |
By Oluwagbenga Bankole
The electricity distribution companies in the country under the
aegis of Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) have said that
they are initiating a move to dialogue with the Senate in order to enlight them
and find a lasting solution to the controversy surrounding the new electricity
tariff hike.
The Senate
on last week directed the immediate reversal of the recent hike in electricity
tariff announced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Speaking exclusively with TOTALNEWS247, the Executive
Director of ANED Mr. Sunday Oduntan said that they are aware of the fact that
the Senate has passed a resolution, saying that the resolution of the senate is
not an act of parliament, but an advice.
Oduntan who emphatically stated that there is no going back on the
new tariff hike, said the Disocs are in discussion with the Senate to see how
they can enlighten them more and find a lasting solution to the issue.
He stated that unless if anybody wants the industry to collapse,
there is no way they can run this industry without a cost reflective tariff,
adding that “and that is the bitter truth. Anybody who is averting to the
bitter truth can let us go back to the dark ages. It is a choice between
darkness and light. If we want to continue with the old system so be it.”
On the accusation by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) that there
was no consultation between them and the Discos before the hike, Oduntan
explained that; “we carried out a wide consultation before the increment. I am
not saying all the stakeholders support the tariff increment, but majority of
people agreed when they saw the facts and the figures.”
He further stated that; “people are now missing electricity with
politics and I think we should separate it. Those who are at the Senate can
afford not to take light from the national grid. They have money to buy diesel.
I just pity the masses. They said they are fighting for Nigerians, but actually
working against Nigerians because at the end of the day if there is no light
Nigerians will feel it more than the politicians.
Oduntan urged Nigerians to bear with them and also support their
effort to grow the industry, emphasizing that the way out for this country is
for us to have an appropriate tariff otherwise known as cost reflective tariff
so that they can enough money to pay to the gas supplier, generate more and
distribute more.
According to him, they need to carry out this reform and embark on
this long journey and they are not pretending that it is going to be well
tomorrow morning, urging Nigerians to bear with them.
Similarly, the NLC has urged the Senate to dialogue with only
genuine unions on issues bordering on workers and activities in the nation’s
power sector.
The call follows allegations that some individuals were already
parading themselves as representatives of workers in the power sector at the
National Assembly.
The National President, Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural
Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Igwe Achese, in a statement at the weekend,
warned the Senate and the National Assembly to stop romance with these
individuals on issues that clearly have to do with the power sector without
involving the leadership of the Unions within the sector.
Achese, who said the National Union of Electricity Employees
(NUEE) and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity Companies (SSAEC)
remained the two unions within the power sector, said that discussion on issues
bordering on the sector that does not involve these unions would be an exercise
in futility.
He said: “Perhaps, the Senate may have been misled into this error
by the deceitful grandstanding and posturing of these persons and group
masquerading as interest parties in the power sector. We know that the Senate
may have meant well and is desirous of resolving all public interest issues
arising out of all sectors of the nation’s economy of which the power sector is
one of them”.
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