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LABOUR CRIES FOUL AS POWER MINISTER PLANS TO MIGRATE BAND B ELECTRICITY USERS TO BAND A
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has described the service-based tariff, which assigns electricity users to different bands according to the service delivered by distribution companies, as the highest form of fraud.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during a budget defence session at the National Assembly this week, claimed that 90 percent of electricity users in Band A have confirmed getting the benefit of being in the category, stressing that more customers would be migrated to Band A to enjoy electricity for longer hours.
However, Ajaero, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, questioned the idea of migrating customers from one band to another.
The labour leader also questioned why some people should be in Band A and others in lower bands, saying the practice is discriminatory.
He said, “Now the ministry is talking about migrating from Band A to Band B, that is the highest level of 419 one can think of.
“Who is in Band A and who is in Band B? Is it based on geographical area that you have Band A or Band B or is it based on the dictates of the provider?
“In countries of the world that are targeting 24 hours power supply, why would somebody be talking about Band A or Band B? How would it happen? So, that idea is concocted to make money unnecessarily and say people are migrated.”
Ajaero also criticized the Federal Government for including provisions in the 2025 budget for power distribution companies, which are supposedly private companies.
He said that the money the government wants to use to improve the power sector should be used for something else, while the money generated by private-owned power companies should be used to run their companies.
