Demonstrations to be held on Monday 28 September in Nigeria to protest the rise in fuel and electricity prices did not finally take place. After a day of negotiations in Abuja on Sunday, the Nigerian Labor Congress finally agreed to suspend the social movement for two weeks, time to continue negotiations with the government, which in turn promised to freeze labor market prices. ‘electricity.
Nigeria is one of the most failing countries in the world when it comes to electricity supply.
The partial privatization of the sector in 2013 was chaotic, not to mention unsuccessful. The distribution companies’ rapid sales did not allow the expected investments to improve the electricity grid.
The Nigerian government therefore continued to subsidize the sector and regulate the price of electricity to guarantee low prices to consumers.
But in the end, only 57% of the country’s 200 million inhabitants have access to electricity, according to the World Bank. And again at intervals of nine hours a day on average.
On September 1, the interest rate hike that the distribution companies had long demanded came into force. The price of electricity has doubled for those who have electricity for more than twelve hours a day.
The government and unions finally agreed on Sunday that this measure was suspended, the time to start negotiations.
On the other hand, it seems that no return is expected at the end of subsidies for petrol. This point was not even mentioned in the final communication from the Nigerian Labor Congress, which raised strong criticism among the workers.
Some trade unions still acted on Monday without following last-minute directives from the Nigerian Labor Congress, which annulled events following his agreement with the federal government Monday morning.
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