THE National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has asked the Minister of Power, Alhaji Maman Saleh, to resign on grounds of incompetence. The union, in a press release signed by Comrade Joe Ajaero, called for the immediate resignation of the minister for displaying “sufficient lack of knowledge in the Ministry he supervises.”
Describing him as “a non-performing Minister of Power,” Comrade Ajaero, in the press statement titled; “Minister of Power Resign Now”, said the recent removal of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Usman Gur Mohammed, will negatively affect the gains already made in the power sector in the country.
“The Minister’s action which may have taken the power sector 30 years backward may not be unconnected with the impending Siemens contract racketeering which the Union has raised alarm to Nigerians but he is bent on reaping-off the people.
“The question Nigerians should be asking the Minister of Power is; why the haste to remove the MD/CEO of TCN?
“We want to know if any MD is removed based on incompetence or corruption and not at the whims and caprices of any Minister?
“We have expressed worry that the Federal Government is handling very sensitive part of the nation’s Power Sector to Siemens who have failed three times in the unsuccessful SCADA/EMS contract awarded to them in Nigeria.
“We had stated that Siemens has a contract for the rehabilitation of one of the 330KV line circuit breaker between Ajah and Egbin, which is dangerously standing on one feeder circuit, but for over two (2) years, the Company is yet to mobilize,” Ajaero said adding that Siemens, which lacks the know-how in the construction of transmission lines which is one of the major needs of Nigeria’s power industry.
According to Ajaero, the TCN has never in its history had an MD/CEO that has been as conscious of the welfare and happiness of workers as Mohammed. He said Mohammed apart from stabilising the Network and System better than any of his predecessors, had also generated more revenue than anyone had done in the past in addition to him being the most patriotic and therefore more protective of Nigeria’s interest against foreign predators.
“The MD of TCN is there to serve the interest of government, electricity users in the country, the workers and Nigerians in general and not the selfish interest of any minister.
“The act of removing managing directors in the power sector who refuse to ‘play ball’ like was done in NBET and Rural Electrification Agency (REA); is not acceptable to the Union.
“The union hereby challenges the Minister of Power to a public debate on any national television platform addressing challenges in the power sector,” Ajaero said.
Meanwhile the union has demanded the immediate implementation of reached with the Ministers of Labour and Power in a meeting held on 10th February, 202o, which had a sixty-day (60-day) implementation period. According to Comrade Ajaero, “if the Minister can obtain approval to unseat the MD during this COVID-19 pandemic, he should be able to obtain approval to implement the agreement with the workers.”
