Organised Labour has demanded explanations from the Federal Government over claims of subsidising electricity supply across the country for over N50billion monthly.
This comes after the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, said in February that the Federal Government was paying N50 billion monthly to subsidise electricity across.
Recall that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan privatised the electricity sector in November 2013 and handed it over to 11 distribution companies and six generating companies.
But Labour yesterday wondered why the government would pay subsidy for a sector it claimed to have privatised.
Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, asked the government to come out and tell Nigerians the level of money they were giving to the operators of the sector.
Ajaero said: “I have never believed that there is subsidy. Let us take electricity for instance. When it was under NEPA, the tariff was down there; nobody gave NEPA one kobo. And NEPA was running the lowest tariff. It was not subsidised.
“Now you sold it to people and they increased tariff five times and you still tell me you are subsidising it. I think there is something wrong there. And throughout the meeting, we told them there is no subsidy.”
He added, “They (government) should come out and tell Nigerians the level of money they are giving to the operators. Nigerians should be able to unfold the real owners of the Discos.”
