Workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) were on Wednesday seen in Abuja celebrating the abrupt resignation of the Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji.
The leadership of the workers union made it quite clear that they will not miss the former Minister of Power.
Reacting to the resignation, the General Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSSAEA) said all the PHCN workers across the country were thanking God.
“God has eventually answered our prayers and made the government to listen to us. It is obvious that the government has noted his several misdeeds. We are all very happy. In fact, we thank God for answering our prayers” he said.
“We hope the government will appoint a right person that will carry all stakeholders along, especially the union to give Nigeria a stable power supply”
The Trade Union Congress have also hailed the Minister’s resignation, saying it is an essential move towards a transparent privatization process.
In his first reaction to the development, Mr Nnaji in an interview with THISDAY Newspaper said he knew it was only a matter of time before the fight waged against him by the ‘powers that be’, would cause him to be a casualty .
According to the former Minister, “the Federal Ministry of Power has always known that the beneficiaries of the old and decadent order in the electric power sector would not accept the new, far-reaching changes in the power sector without a fight.”
He blamed the development on the unprecedented achievement of the Ministry with increased power supply and the almost concluded privatisation process, which was unacceptable for some people.
“With power supply at an all-time high across the nation in the last few weeks and with the privatisation of PHCN assets at an advanced stage to the delight of the Nigerian people, those who have been feeding fat on the misery of our citizens have been fighting back with unimaginable ferocity” he said.
He also blamed the media for the development saying “they (the media) have not left anything to chance in the determination to scuttle the electric power reform, including spirited attempts to recruit some members of the mass media.”