Electricity, Water Unions Demand Immediate Reversal of Power and Water Sector Privatisation
Story written (By SpringnewsNG Media Limited) August 8,2025
NUEE, AUPCTRE Urge FG to Revoke Power and Water Sector Privatisation Over Poor Service Delivery
The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) have jointly called on the Federal Government to immediately reverse the privatisation of the power and water sectors, citing widespread inefficiency, excessive billing, and worsening service delivery.
In a joint statement, both unions argued that Nigeria was better off when the electricity and water sectors were publicly managed, accusing private operators of prioritising profit over national interest.
Speaking after a strategic labour meeting in Kano, Ayuba Barde, NUEE’s North West Zonal Organising Secretary I, said the unions had opposed privatisation from the onset, warning it would negatively affect service delivery and infrastructure development.
“We raised concerns from the beginning, but Nigerians misunderstood our intent. Today, the reality is clear—low electricity supply, high tariffs, poor metering, and inadequate reinvestment in infrastructure. These investors are only interested in profit, not service improvement,” Barde said.
He further alleged that the privatisation process lacked transparency, with the assets handed over to government allies without fair valuation, leading to frequent grid collapses, blackouts, and inflated billing systems.
Echoing his concerns, AUPCTRE’s Acting General Secretary, Lawrence Ilesanmi, stressed that the power sector should remain a public utility, as it falls under basic social services that must be subsidised by the government.
“The government is avoiding its responsibility and handing over essential services to profit-driven private firms. In the water sector, for instance, privatisation has led to increased borehole drilling, causing environmental degradation,” Ilesanmi warned.
Both unions urged the government to review the privatisation framework and take decisive action to return these essential services to public control in order to safeguard national welfare and infrastructure integrity. Written by SpringnewsNG Media Limited
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