By Victor Ahiuma-Young

Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterparts, have expressed serious concerns over the nation’s energy sector, giving insight into how greed, incompetence and betrayal ruined Nigeria’s energy sector.

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In a joint statement to mark the May Day, Presidents of NLC and TUC, Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo, respectively, lamented that in a country blessed with vast reserves of crude oil, abundant natural gas, and sunshine in abundance, the question Nigerians keep asking is why the nation is still grappling with intractable energy crisis.

According to them: “Every year, we talk about this sector yet, those that claim to know better have refused to listen but insist on listening to what does not work. We are workers in the various organisationsrunning the Petroleum and Power sectors, we know where the skeletons are buried. We know what works. Government if it really wishes to deliver an effective Energy sector to Nigerians, should sit down with critical stakeholders to turn around this sector so that it will play its critical role in Nigeria’s economic development. Energy poverty continues to hold Nigeria in its stranglehold. 

“While we are blessed with enough natural resources to drive a robust energy sector, we have lacked the requisite leadership capacity to make it a reality. We are still at a great loss on how to explain events in the Oil and Gas sector. We have crude, yet Dangote claims to import crude to run his refinery. Dangote exports refined products yet, we import refined petroleum products. This defies logic.

“A nation that fails to harness and manage its energy resources efficiently is doomed to economic stagnation and systemic collapse. Nigeria’s energy sector remains a glaring example of mismanagement, corporate exploitation, and governmental negligence, leaving millions in darkness and stifling our industrial potential. 

“That Nigeria is celebrating electricity generation of 5,528 MW is disquieting for a country with over 200M people while South Africa generates almost the same at 43000MW for a population that is about 45M. What is worrying still is that not more than 4000MW of that entire generated amount will eventually get to homes and industries.

“If the President is sinking N10b into solar in lamentation of the high cost of electricity in the Villa; the Deputy Governor of Lagos State wringing his hands on the millions he pays on electricity tariff monthly while many agencies of government are crying out, are they thinking of how the worker or the average citizen is going through under such high tariff? At least that should tell government what it has subjected us to.

“Energy, whether from electricity, oil, or gas—is the lifeblood of any modern economy. Yet, decades of corruption, privatization scams, and policy failures have turned this vital sector into a tool for profiteering by a privileged few, while ordinary Nigerians suffer. 

“The Federal Government must urgently collaborate with workers, trade unions and the people to reclaim this sector and ensure energy sovereignty for all.

“Public domestic Refineries have remained incapacitated. The Port Hacourt and Warri refineries which we were told had become technically completed are still lying technically in coma. 

“All the promises of revitalization remain a huge mirage. The Port Harcourt refinery, after billions spent on repairs, is yet to function optimally. The game that is playing out in the sector especially the downstream sector where Dangote is exporting refined products while other entities import same products can only be explained as a deliberate economic gang-up. 

“The entire story around Naira for crude is simply mind-boggling and can only happen here. Nigerians deserve full disclosure on why we must have to suffer.

“Though we can glean marginal progress in the oil and gas sector, we urge the Federal Government to fix all refineries and resolve outstanding issues with NNPCL, Dangote, and marketers to ease pressure on citizens. 

“We demand strict enforcement of the expatriate quota system, as the manipulation by International Oil Companies (IOCs) deprives Nigerians of employment opportunities. We call on the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to act decisively — or workers will have no option but to down tools.

“We still insist that Power Sector Privatization was a daylight heist and a monumental failure. A decade after privatization, Nigeria’s electricity sector remains in shambles. 

“Nigerians are forced to pay exorbitant tariffs for darkness, while estimated billing continues as legalized robbery. If we are serious about development as a nation, we must be intentional about getting the energy sector especially the Power sector functional.”

Vanguard News