NLC Threatens Fresh Protest Against Power Tariffs Hike

The Nigeria Labour Congress has resolved to mobilize workers and citizens for a nationwide protest if the Federal Government proceeds with its proposed electricity tariff hike, describing it as “economic violence against the working class and broader Nigerian populace.”

This is amidst warnings from the National Union of Electricity Employees to the Federal Government regarding plans to hike electricity tariffs, stating that Nigerians should not be paying for darkness.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, on February 28, 2025, and made available to pressmen over the weekend, the NLC rejected it.

It expressed that the Ministry of Power and NERC are seeking to force consumers into higher tariff bands under the pretext of service improvement while, in reality, deepening economic hardship.

The NEC decided that efforts to impose additional electricity tariffs would be met with mass resistance, mandating its National Administrative Council to begin immediate mobilisation for protests.

Beyond electricity, the NLC also raised concerns over the recent 35 per cent increase in telecommunications tariffs.

While the congress acknowledged an agreement with the Federal Government to reduce the initial proposed hike from 50 per cent to 35 per cent, it remained skeptical of the government’s commitment to keeping its word.

The union further warned that if the new telecom tariffs, set to take effect on March 1, 2025, are implemented in contrast with the agreed terms, it would enforce compliance using all necessary instruments.