The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has called for the immediate reversal of the recent increase in electricity tariffs, threatening strong action if their demands are not met.
In a statement signed by National President Adebiyi Adeyeye, NUEE condemned the decision by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to raise tariffs for customers enjoying extended power supply (Band A classification).
Adeyeye argued the increase unfairly burdens Nigerians who rely heavily on electricity, particularly low-income households. He emphasized the widening inequality this price shift creates, stating, “This decision blatantly disregards the economic struggles of Nigerian workers, especially considering the uncertain minimum wage situation.”
The NUEE President challenged the notion that electricity subsidies are inherently negative. “Subsidies are not alien even in advanced economies,” Adeyeye said, citing Germany’s support for renewable energy and the US’s low-income household assistance programs.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had on April 3 announced an increase in electricity tariff for customers enjoying a 20-hour power supply daily.
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The increase means customers, classified as Band A electricity consumers, will now pay N225 per kilowatt hour as opposed to the N66 payable before the hike.
The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) is a trade union representing utility workers in Nigeria.
The union was founded in 1977 as the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers when the Government of Nigeria merged six unions, including
E. S. Company African Workers’ Union, E. C. N. Northern States Electrical Workers’ Union, NEPA and Allied Workers’ Union, Nigerian Electricity Workers’ Union, Nigerian Transmission Company Workers’ Union, and Technologists Association of National Electric Power Authority.
The union was a founding affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). By 1988, it had 25,893 members, the total falling slightly to 24,000 in 2005.
In 2016, the union left the NLC to become a founding constituent of the United Labour Congress (ULC). However, in 2020, the whole ULC rejoined the NLC.
