Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Ransome Owan
Rallies organised by the National Union of Electricity Employees in all states of the federation to protest government’s plan to privatise its electricity firms were disrupted by riot policemen on Wednesday.
As a result, the electricity workers have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike in protest against the disruption of the rallies.
NUEE said some of its members were arrested by the police in different parts of the country during the rallies.
It said in a statement, “We, therefore, demand the immediate withdrawal of soldiers posted to power stations and the release of the 20 detained members in Abeokuta, 15 others in Asaba and every other members arrested in other locations within the next 24 hours, else, we shall be forced to withdraw our services.”
One of our correspondents gathered that seven police vehicles, loaded with riot policemen, arrived the Eko Electricity Distribution Company’s headquarters in Lagos in the early hours of Thursday to prevent the workers from holding a rally.
Also, at the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, it was gathered that the workers were prevented from holding a rally by anti-riot policemen, who barricaded the entrance to the company.
Speaking on the nationwide rallies on Wednesday, the Secretary-General, NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that policemen disrupted the protest in some places.
He added, “They also arrested some of our people in some places. The police shot tear gas at them in some places, while the rallies were successful in other places. That is the situation in all the states in Nigeria.
“In Ogun State, about 15 people were arrested by the police. In Asaba, about 25 people were arrested. There were also gunshots and tear gas in the case of Asaba. In Abuja, police shot tear gas at people. In Port Harcourt, it was disrupted and an AIT reporter was even arrested and later released.”
Ajaero said that in places like Sokoto, Jos, Bauchi and Anambra, the police were civil in their approach, adding that in Lagos, the police disrupted the rally on the Mainland but that the workers regrouped and organised another at the Alausa area.
On the next line of action, Ajaero said, “Since the government is beating us and it expects us not to cry even when churches organise rallies, we may decide to stay off work. We didn’t want to resort to a strike action, but with what is happening now, we have given a notice because you cannot beat people and ask them not to cry.”
According to him, the police said they were carrying out an order from the Inspector-General of Police to prevent the rallies.
A team of riot policemen disrupted a peaceful rally organised by members of the Ondo State council of NUEE on Thursday .
The workers converged on the headquarters of the company located at NEPA area of Akure, wearing red vests and singing solidarity songs to protest the planned privatisation.
They carried various placards bearing inscriptions such as, “Don’t allow Goodluck, Sambo and Nnaji to sell PHCN to themselves; “PHCN can work without privatisation;” “FGN stop deceiving Nigerians: Publicise power probe eeports” and “Nigerians are asking: Was $16bn really spent on PHCN or looted?”
They had intended to march through the major streets in the metropolis to sensitise and persuade members of the public to prevail on the government to desist from the planned privatisation, claiming that, “privatisation held no treasure for Nigerians to embrace.”
Just as they were planning to hit the streets, about eight vans, loaded with heavily armed policemen led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police and the Police Area Commander in Akure, stopped them and directed that they should not move to the streets.
Source:Punch
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