In
apparent response to the statement made by the out-going minister of
power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, on the need for the in-coming
administration not to tamper with the privatization of the power sector,
electricity workers in the country have demanded a thorough review of
the privatization of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, alle-ging
that the privatization project was fraught with irregularities.
The
workers further alleged that the privatisation exercise had made
electricity generation and consumption in the country ineffective.
The
workers, under the aegis of National Union of Electricity Emplo-yees,
NUEE, insisted that the payment of over N200 billion to the private
sector by the government after the privatization exercise leaves much to
be desired, and urged the incoming administration of Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari, rtd, to revisit the exercise.
The executive members of
the union, led by the General Secretary and factional President of
Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said this in Abuja,
while conducting select journalists round the site of abandoned 60
containers of 52KVA electricity transformers, at Kubwa, in Abuja.
Speaking
on behalf of the NUEE executive members, Ajaero argued that if after
many months, privatization of electricity in the country had failed to
bring positive impact to electricity consumers, then, there was the need
for the Buhari-led presidency to revisit the programme.
Comrade
Ajaero said: “We want to say, as a union that the sham called
privatization should be revisited. If privatization, as we were told,
was to bring us heaven-on-earth elderado, and it has not done that, why
should we insist on it?.
“Of course, our position as NUEE, has
been no to privatization, especially given that we are an underdeveloped
economy. It is the function of the state to provide power.
“Even
the so called privatization, you can see that even this year alone,
between January and now, they have even given the so called private
sector over N200 billion. So, why fund them if you say the electricity
is in the hands of the private sector? That brings you to the point of
the fraud on who owns them.
“Why would you sell your house to somebody and you still give him money to maintain it? So, it’s a fraud.”
Emphasizing
on the minister’s comment that privatization of PHCN must stay, Ajaero
added: “We want Buhari to ask questions first and foremost because it is
wrong for a an out-going minister to be setting agenda for Buhari to
reverse or not to reverse the privatization of PHCN.
“A minister
who inherited about 4000 megawatts and is today, battling with just 2000
and something megawatts, doesn’t have the moral courage to advise
incoming government on what to do.
Ajaero stressed: “If he Buhari asks questions for some months, he will now know the direction to move.”
On
the abandoned containers, Ajaero said he was alerted on the abandoned
equipments by concerned citizens who got wind of the development.
“With
these transformers hidden here, you can now understand that while they
were privatizing, certain properties were being hidden, “he alleged.
www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/privatisation-of-phcn-a-fraudelectricity-workers-tell-buhari/
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