Abuja: Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and labour unions in the public utilities sector are calling for the reversal of all privatisations in the electricity, water, and waste sectors, asserting that these privatisations have failed to serve the public interest.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Child Health Organisation, Kenya and Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) issued a joint communique in Abuja. The call was made following the 2025 National Public Utilities Summit held in Abuja. The communique was signed by union representatives including Comrade Alo Lawrence, Acting General Secretary of AUPCTRE, Comrade Opaluwa Simeon, Assistant General Secretary (Liaison) of NUEE, Comrade Yusuf Zambuk of CFSF, and Philip Jakpor representing CSOs.
The summit, themed ‘Promoting Transparency and Decent Work in Supply Chains in Electricity, Water, and Waste Services in Sub-Saharan Africa,’ was organised by Public Services International (PSI) in collaboration with DGB Bildungswerk Bund (DGB BW). The summit served as a platform for stakeholders to evaluate the impact of the PSI-DGB Project on advocacy for decent work and campaigns against the privatisation of key sectors.
The communique recommended an urgent reversal of privatisations in the electricity sector and existing privatisations in the water and waste sectors. Additionally, it called for a suspension of ongoing or planned discussions with the World Bank and other International Financial Institutions (IFIs) regarding the privatisation of public assets.
The unions and CSOs advocated for the adoption of Public-Public Partnerships (PUPs) as a sustainable and democratic alternative, citing their success in delivering quality public services without profit motives. They emphasised the importance of reinvesting in human capital within the public sector, urging governments to allocate resources for the training, motivation, and retention of public sector workers to enhance efficiency, innovation, and transparency.
The communique also highlighted the importance of strengthening social dialogue and collaboration among civil society, trade unions, and other crucial sectors to hold governments accountable. It urged governments to prioritise people over profit by halting the privatisation of essential services and reaffirming the public sector as vital for democratic development, equity, and sustainable livelihoods.
Furthermore, the participants stressed the need for PSI-DGB to support education projects among workers on the Public-Public Partnership, which is still in its early stages in Nigeria.