The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero said the labour union would disown the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi if he adopts the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank if elected Nigeria’s President.
Ajaero stated this while speaking in an interview with
Channels Television on Tuesday.
He described the position of the NLC on the removal of
petrol subsidy and electricity subsidy as ‘fixated.’
Ajaero added that the labour union would have it tough with
any Labour Party president who implements the policies of the IMF.
The NLC President said, “He (Obi) is the presidential
candidate of the Labour Party but does he own the NLC or the Labour Party? Why
can’t you separate them?
“Whosoever is the presidential candidate or official of the
Labour Party must buy into our projects. If he says he was going to undertake
those policies, let him be elected and try such policies.
“Whether a presidential candidate of a party that Labour
forms would dictate for Labour? The answer is known to everybody. The policies
of Labour, the ideologies of Labour are clear and we are going to pursue it.
“If anybody is coming with another ideology, he is going to
have it tough with us because that is not what we stand for.
“It (our approach) would have been the worst for anybody
flying the flag of the Labour Party to come and implement these policies, to
come and adopt the policies of the IMF and the World Bank.
“It would have been worse for the person. In fact, we would
disown the person, he would be on his own. We have to make this distinction
clear.”
Speaking on the issue of electricity tariff hike and
inflation, Ajaero said the recent increase by the Nigerian Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC) and distribution companies in the country must be
immediately reversed.
He said, “Unknown to people, this issue of tariff increase
is determined by inflation and the value of the currency.
“NERC takes these two major variables to determine tariff
increase. Unknown to the same NERC, each time you increase tariff, it leads to
another inflation which within few months, they would see demand for another
tariff increase. And this is happening on and on and there is no control over
it.”
Recall that, on April 3, 2024, NERC raised electricity
tariff for customers enjoying 20 hours power supply daily.
The increase saw the customers paying N225 kilowatt per hour
from the current N66, a development that has been met with criticism by many
Nigerians.
The NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) subsequently
picketed NERC offices and discos on Monday to press home their demands.
But, Ajaero kicked against the “politics of reduction”
embarked upon by NERC in recent times.
He said reduction after tariff increase won’t stand,
insisting that NERC and discos must first reverse the tariff to the old rates
and come to the negotiation table with labour unions and other stakeholders on
an agreeable way forward.
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