15th September, 2010
National Co-ordinator for Civil Society Clubs of Nigeria (CISOCON), Comrade Babatunde Ashafa, has condemned the increment of electricity tariffs without any corresponding improvement in services of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.
He stated this on Monday at a press conference, at Textile Labour House, Acme Road, Ogba, Lagos.
He emphasized on Nigeria at 50, setting agenda for the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in 2011 and the need for urgent rethink of reforms in the power sector.
Ashafa recalled that when the late President Umar Yar’Adua was in power, he reduced the rate of fuel Tariff, but ever since President Jonathan took over, he was only increasing tariffs.
“Despite the development, arbitrary electricity bills from PHCN has ceaselessly been served on hopeless Nigerians, without a corresponding offer of the services they are forced to pay for. Electricity tariffs have also been increased from N3.20k to N4.40k, even when Nigerians disagreed with the new price regime. We all know that this is against the basic principles of linking bills increment to enhance services,†Ashafa said.
The activist said “it is clear that state creation has only helped in giving more power to the government at the centre, as the failure of the federal government at ensuring constant power supply since 1967 till date resulted in the deplorable state of our socio-economic and political development and stability. And a nation like ours which fails to provide stable, free, fair and credible elections through secret ballot system and with the degeneration of our elections. For example, in 1999, 10 cases were filed at the elections petitios tribunal, in 2003, there were 506 cases before the elections tribunals.â€
Another speaker, Ambassador Segun Olusola said the rights of the working class are not guaranteed by classifying them as indigenes nonindigenes, stressing that Nigeria should not be a place of dual citizenships.
Others present at the press conference include dignitaries
—Salimon Oyinkansola