…As students issue 24-hr ultimatum for power restoration
From TUNDE OMOLEHIN, Sokoto
The Sokoto State chapter of National Union of Electricity Employee (NUEE) has threatened to withdraw its members from all PHCN’s formations, which might cause a total blackout across the state till further notice. This followed the alleged beating up of one of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Business Managers in Sokoto State.
The PHCN authority in the state, Daily Sun gathered, had also continued a mass disconnection of power supply to all state government institutions, including state hospitals and other establishments across the state over payment default, apparently a retaliatory move against the state government. In a statement signed by the union chairman and secretary, Abubakar Sani and Yusuf Abdulkarim respectively, the union stated that the decision to withdraw its staff followed the recent alleged harassment of PHCN officials by the state governor and his security aides.
The union further alleged that Governor Aliyu Wamakko’s security aides beat up the PHCN official while on official meeting at the instance of the governor. The PHCN was in the governor’s house to explain why his hometown’s electricity could not be restored. According to the statement, “Report reaching us from Sokoto Business Unit revealed that on October 20, 2012, the state Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko invited the two Business Managers of Marina and Gwiwa with other two PHCN staff to his house in respect of the Wamakko township 2.5MVA transformer.”
“Thereafter, the governor personally assaulted the Business Manager and two other staff who were mercilessly beaten and finally handed over to his personal security for further assault and torture.” All PHCN staff in the state are under intimidation and are no longer secure in carrying out their legitimate duties.
“In view of the above, the state executive council of NUEE resolved to withdraw our staff from PHCN formations and to cause a total blackout across the state till further notice,” it stated. Meanwhile, the leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the authority of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in the state as matter of urgency, reverse its decision of disconnecting power supply to any state government institution or face what it called ‘mass action’ from the students. Addressing journalists in Sokoto yesterday, the union Secretary General Zone ‘A’, Comrade Kasimu Aliyu Nakura also called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly to as matter of urgency intervene in the matter.
“The Nigerian students and concerned youths of Sokoto State have strongly condemned the action of the PHCN to cause blackout in the state for no just reason. And we are hereby calling for the immediate restoration of electricity supply in the affected areas within 24 hours of this ultimatum, pending when the issues would be resolved with the state government as masses are on the receiving end of this action,” it stated.
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You should vent your anger on the Foolish Governor and not his subjects. By now, you should have disconnected the electricity supplies to the Govt house, Govt office, and the personal houses of the foolish Goveror.
This is pure abuse. What an insult to humanity and PHCN? The governor should, first of all be removed, charged to court and made to pay the price for his very primitive/unlawful act and action. This will serve as a deterrent to others.
Do you know what it takes to be an electrical engineer?.. i think PHCN deserves some respect
Where two elephants fight, the grass suffer. We must always act in the best interest of the ordinary man. The gov can use our money to acquire alternative power but you and I may not.
Those students are idiots been teleguided by the governor.Infact PHCN staffs in Sokoto should not only undertake a permanent blackout of Sokoto state,but sue the idiotic governor that is from the stone age.
Let there be total blackout across the nation. And stop sending your over-bloated bills when in the actual fact there is no power supply. You are lucky the action Governor did not imprison him. Idiots! In fact, PHCN SHOULD BE DISBANDED. Ugwuachara Road, Nsukka, Enugu State is a case in point. I am sure it is the same case everywhere in Nigeria. Afterall, you could not justify the #17million the Governor paid you for a transformer to re-energize electricity in his community.
dere’s epileptic power supply a+ d natn, no doubt, but beatng up or molestng 4 dat mata an individual n by a gov is uncalled 4, dat shows many of dem don’t even know y dey’re in d positns dey’re occupying d said officer shouldn’t hesitate 2 press charges against him he’s power drunk
d gov really played 2 d gallery. n. should b sued 4 his aktn. his aktn shows dat he’s still livng in d stone age
Poor PHCN people, I know that the illicit and dubious extortion they baptised “estimated bill” will one day put their staff on the way to “baptism-of-fire”. Now that a sitting governing is involved, let us pray that our president will make direct pronoucement making it illegal for PHCN/Nepa to issue estimated bills to Nigerians again. They were lucky that the incident did not take place in Aluuu. Better to hear from the gov. also.
You are s fool humphrey,so this is what u hv to say?
Ralph my brother, althogh I don’t like the allusion to Aluu, you should make your point. Stop calling Humphery a fool because we are all NEPA victims of brazen extortions. Or are you working with them? In fact, NEPA should pay back all its loot back to its innocent customers. “Ndi ogba aka acho uru.”
i hear some sycophants describng d over-zealous (trigger-hapi) gov as an actn gov if he’s so active let him start workng instead of pursuing shadows around, buzy body gov