Written by Tunde Dodondawa, Lagos Saturday, 19 November 2011
The General-Secretary, National Union of Electrical Employees (NUEE), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has described the Federal Government’s decision to subject staffers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to biometric verification as a ploy to sack the workers and hand them over to private investors.
Ajaero had, on November 14, 2011 ordered that all workers should embark on strike. The directive was, however, ignored by most of the workers, with only some parts of Ogun State obeying it.
It was observed that Ajaero has been at the forefront of resisting privatisation of the PHCN companies from the start of the whole process. It is recalled that on August 25, 2010, Ajaero ordered a nationwide blackout on the eve of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presentation of The Road Map to Power Sector Reform. In October 2010, he also ordered NUEE to embark on a strike in solidarity with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of which he is now the Vice President, whose members are pressing for state governments to pay the new minimum wage of N18,000 monthly. Few weeks ago, he also ordered a prolonged blackout in government offices in Enugu, including the government house, the governor’s lodge and the secretariat, to show solidarity with state government workers who were on strike.
The recent allegation by Ajaero came on the heels of the Federal Goverment’s deployment of military personnel to all PHCN installations across the federation.
However, the Federal Government, in a quick reaction, said the development was as a result of intelligence reports which revealed plans by Boko Haram sect to attack PHCN facilities and throw the entire nation into darkness.
Explaining government’s action to Saturday Tribune yesterday, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Labour Matters, Honourable Nick Agbo, said “the presence of military personnel in hotels and worship places has gone a long way to restore public confidence
via Tribune
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