The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have closed all Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) offices to protest against the increase in electricity tariffs.
According to information gathered by DAILY POST, the NLC prevented AEDC staff from entering their offices when they attempted to resume work on Monday.
An AEDC staff member, speaking anonymously, revealed, “The Apo office of AEDC has been shut down by NLC. When I arrived at the office around 7:00 am on Monday, I was instructed to return home. Similar instructions were given to colleagues in our other offices across Abuja.”
In a previous announcement jointly made by NLC Acting Secretary-General Chris Uyot and TUC Acting Secretary-General Ankan Hassan, Nigerian workers had pledged to close down the offices of the 11 Distribution Companies (Discos) nationwide and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The workers demanded a reversal of the April 3 electricity tariff increase for band A customers, which raised the rate to N225 per kilowatt-hour from N68 per kWh. Despite this call, NERC proceeded with a slight tariff reduction to N206 per kWh, which was deemed inadequate by the organized labour.
As a result, the NLC and TUC vowed to shut down the Discos and NERC offices until their demands were met. This development occurs amidst the challenges faced by Nigerians due to high headline and food inflation rates, standing at 33.20% and 40.01%, respectively, as of March 2024.