By Jabez Yakah
Yesterday Monday, labour unions in Nigeria held a nationwide protest over the recent increase in electricity tariffs after subsidies were scraped off by the government.
These protesters, made up of government workers asked authorities to counteract the hike in tariffs which have added to the high cost of living in the West African country.
For many citizens, electricity tariffs have more than doubled in the previous month as the government on the other hand saved some $788 million from scraping of the subsidies.
This development is part of measures by President Bola Tinubu’s government to reduce government expenditure as it struggles with a decline in revenue due to dwindling investments and oil theft.
The protestors said that despite the rise in electricity tariffs, power supply in the country has not improved.
Electricity rates more than doubled for some consumers in April, while the government will save at least $788 million in subsidies this year, authorities have said.
It is the latest measure by President Bola Tinubu’s government to cut costs as Africa’s most populous country struggles with declining revenue due to dwindling investments and chronic oil theft.
Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigerian Labor Congress, the umbrella body of the unions, told reporters in Abuja, the capital, that the country cannot continue to increase electricity rates and that union members were coming out to underline how Nigerians feel about it.
Source: www.apnews.com ,
