NLC faults N90bn budget for power

NIGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday, faulted the plan by Federal Government to spend N90 billion in this year’s budget on the power sector that was already private sector driven. Even as it declared that the budget was anti-workers and anti-masses, NLC said: “We do not see the necessary levers upon which to anchor the aspirations of ordinary Nigerians in it.” fasholaIn a statement, NLC factional President, Joe Ajaero, said: “Why would government be allocating such huge expenditure to a sector that it has almost pulled out from? Or, is the government planning new investments in new Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, and Generation Companies, GENCOs? “If so, we hope that the intentions are not to use public funds to establish these companies, only for them to turn around and hand it over to the business arm of the ruling class. Perhaps, govern-ment is anticipating putting in more money in the already privatised entities as a fabled stabilisation measure or bail-out. “We can summarise that this budget is anti-workers and anti-masses as we do not see the necessary levers upon which to anchor the aspirations of ordinary Nigerians in it. We do not see increasing employment in this budget, neither do we see deliberate efforts at transferring wealth to the ordinary people.”