Electricity workers threaten to throw Lagos into darkness

Martin Ayankola and Rasheed Komolafe, Lagos - 11.03.2008

ELECTRICITY workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Company (SSAEAC) have threatened to cut power supply to Lagos and its environs.

This is due to the alleged illegal sale and forceful eviction of top management staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) from the company's residential quarters in Ikoyi.

Comrade Godwin Ifeanacho, president, SSAEAC, while addressing a group of protesters numbering about 200 in Ikoyi on Monday, said a group of armed policemen and over 15 soldiers invaded and evicted the residents of PHCN quarters at 5A, George Street, Ikoyi, on Saturday.

He added that the soldiers scattered the belongings of top management staff of PHCN on the roadside even after the secretary to the implementation committee on the sale of Federal Government properties had repeatedly admitted that the eviction letter to residents in Ikoyi was signed in error.

"It is pathetic that Colonel Mohammed can still order his men to carry on with the forceful eviction of the residents. It is also obvious that he was playing pranks to carry out his agenda that contravenes the rule of law, lack due process and disrespect for fundamental human rights," he said.

Ifeanacho said the union had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the soldiers to vacate the staff quarters, otherwise, electricity workers would be directed to stay at home until further notice.

According to him, the union also requested that the task force should return PHCN properties in Alexandra, Oba Akinjobi and the properties in Awolowo Road handed over to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

He explained that the union got approval from the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo in early 2007 that the implementation committee on the sale of Federal Government properties should exempt from sale, all PHCN buildings/ properties across the country because they constituted the non-core assets of PHCN in the reform act. According to him, going by the monetisation act, the occupiers of the property should be given the right of first refusal.

"The committee ignored the due process and rule of law and forcefully evicted without prior notice," he said.

He said the revenue from the sale of the entire PHCN assets was expected to be remitted to the superannuation fund and not the Federation Account as planned by the task force.

He added that the Federal Government owed retired staff of PHCN about N107 billion superannuation funds and revenue from the sale of PHCN assets was to be remitted to the fund to pay retired electricity workers yet to get their gratuities.