The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) hereby declares its total support for the planned picketing by labour and civil society allies of all offices of the electricity distribution companies (DISCOS) nationwide including Abuja today Monday February 8, 2016 to protest the unilateral and unlawful hike of electricity tariff. We commend NLC leadership for this mass action for improved power supply instead of incessant non-service charges.

President Muhammed Buhari should urgently revisit the report of the 2014 national conference and implement the wholistic recommendations for the power sector instead of allowing the same unhelpful posting of high tariff by underperforming generating and distribution companies. The point cannot be overstated; Power/Energy is so strategic to the industrialization and the wellbeing of the people. Therefore the Federal government must urgently review the privatisation contracts between the Federal government and GenCos and DisCos and give a two (2) year time-frame to firms in the Electric Power Sector to allow them stabilize and provide efficient power supply to Nigerians before they can contemplate any tariff increase. There should also be more transparency in all future reform of the Nation’s assets.

We reject the hike in electricity tariff and hereby call on our members across the country and all well meaning Nigerians to come out and join NLC protest to drive home the fact that the unilateral and unlawful hike of electricity tariff is unacceptable.

IMPROVE POWER SUPPLY
The Textile Union instead calls for improvement in power supply. The point cannot be overstated. Between 30% and 35% of Textile and garment manufacturing costs are energy related expenses. Without electrification there can be no industrialization. The promise and expectation that President Muhammed Buhari will revive textile industry generally is not possible without electricity. Also its time for Buhari administration to critically review the power sector reform with a view of increasing public sector investment.

Issa Aremu, mni
GENERAL SECRETARY, NUTGTWN
CHAIRMAN, IndustriALL Global Union, Sub Sahara Africa