The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government to abandon any planned increase in electricity tariffs, vowing to lead mass resistance against further hikes.

The labour body also threatened to shut down telecom operations nationwide if telecommunications companies fail to implement the 35% tariff hike agreement reached with the government, rejecting the 50% hike initially approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

In a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Yola, Adamawa State, the NLC leadership strongly condemned the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) ongoing reclassification of electricity consumers.

The statement read: “Members of NEC unequivocally reject the ongoing sham reclassification of electricity consumers by NERC, which seeks to forcefully migrate consumers from lower bands to Band A under the guise of service improvement while, in reality, imposing unjustified extortion on the masses.”

Naija News reports that the threat comes after workers in the electricity industry, under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE),faulted the planned hike in tariffs, accusing the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu and the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) of prioritising hike tariffs over service delivery.