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The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) said the proposed plan by the federal government to restructure the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) portends great danger to the power sector.
Joe Ajaero, the NLC President, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The Nigerian government had on Tuesday hinted at plans to restructure the TCN into two entities.
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who disclosed this while speaking at the Federal Ministry of Power ministerial retreat held in Abuja said the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) transmission sub-sector has been identified as a critical weak point in the electricity value chain.“To align with the Electricity Act 2023 and the industry’s demands, it’s time to restructure the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) into two entities: the Independent System Operator (ISO) and the Transmission Service Provider (TSP),” Mr Adelabu said.
In its reaction, the NLC said the restructuring is laden with other intentions that may be hidden but very clear to every discerning Nigerian.
“It portends great danger to the Power sector and holds great fear and trepidation for major stakeholders within the Power sector,” Mr Ajaero said.
He said the plan imperils the ability of the state to control, regulate and guarantee the safety of the nation’s grid system at all times.
“We want to quickly say that the idea behind the so-called plans to restructure is the same big grammar that was spoken before and during the failed privatisation exercise of the sector.
“They are the same stories that Nigerians have heard over the years which have largely yielded no significant results except the increased suffering that the exercise became for Nigerian people and the economy,” he added.
Mr Ajaero said it is clear that the main motive behind the plans for the proposed restructuring is none other than to prepare the TCN for eventual takeover by the cronies and lackeys of the ruling elite.
“When words like unbundling are bandied about in Nigeria, the masses and workers become frightened because of the level of misery such words have foisted on the people,” he said.
He explained that unbundling heralded the death of the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum sector.
“It sounded the death knell on the power sector and raising its ugly spectre once again at this time when the people are facing serious socio-economic challenges that may compound the woes of the people.”
NLC said it believes that the President is making the same mistake previous administrations have made with the policy direction the minister of power is trying to follow in seeking to unbundle TCN for privatization.
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