Dominic Igwebike, the Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), has expressed disappointment with the Minister of Power, Adelabu Adebayo, for his failure to hold a meeting with stakeholders in the sector since assuming office.
The NUEE described the minister’s lack of action as a display of ignorance on his part.
A statement issued by Igwebike on Monday highlights the concern, stating, “It is regrettable that since his appointment, the Honourable Minister has not seen the need to engage critical stakeholders in the power sector. This collaboration is vital for promoting effectiveness, enhancing productivity, increasing power output, and fostering an excellent industrial relations environment required to achieve these goals.”
Furthermore, the NUEE criticized the minister for his media engagements, which they believe are aimed at misinforming Nigerians and openly threatening workers in the sector.
Igwebike pointed out that, to date, the power sector has not experienced any system collapse in over 400 days, thanks to the industrious and hard-working employees in the sector.
The statement continues, “The Honourable Minister needs to understand that the power sector did not witness any system collapse during the two-day warning strike declared nationwide by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), to which we are affiliated.”
“He must also be educated on the fact that he cannot simply decree strikes out of existence. However, the minister has chosen to follow the footsteps of his predecessors by making grand promises of increasing megawatts without presenting any clear plans to achieve them. You cannot build something on nothing.”
“To achieve significant improvements and revitalize the power sector, it is crucial for the federal government to appoint individuals based on qualifications rather than political considerations,” Igwebike added.
He further stressed the need for the minister to address pressing issues, including the refusal to issue prepaid meters to Nigerians who are forced to pay exorbitant bills, the inadequate electricity output of less than 4,500MW, the failure of most Generation Companies (GenCos), especially Egbin Power Plc, to adhere to labor laws since November 2013, and the non-payment of 16 months’ worth of severance arrears, among others.
“If the minister fails to address these issues within two weeks, he should focus on recruiting officials from the National Security Agency (NSA) to oversee the sector. We wish him the best of luck!” concluded Igwebike.
