Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Friday, faulted the recent electricity tariff hike, saying the increment would impose more hardships on Nigerians.
He said that while Nigerians were still dealing with the harsh effects of fuel subsidy removal and floating of the naira, the Federal Government still hiked the electricity tariff without considering the plights of the citizens.
The Bola Tinubu-led federal government has completely withdrawn subsidy on electricity going by the tariff approved for power consumers in the Band A category, who it claimed constitute 15 per cent of the total number of power consumers in the country.
The government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), announced the hike on Wednesday, adding that those affected would now pay a tariff of N225 per kilowatt-hour, up from the previous rate of N68/kWh, representing about 240 per cent increase.
But Atiku, in a series of tweets on his X account on Friday, faulted the move, saying the hike was without adequate notice.
He wrote, “As usual, the government is unleashing another dose of reforms without adequate notice and without an adequate post-reform plan to mitigate the pain.
“The increase in electricity tariff comes at a time when Nigerian citizens are going through excruciating difficulties occasioned by the withdrawal of subsidy on PMS and floating of the domestic currency.
“The government has not successfully dealt with the pains associated with the implementation of those measures, and now this. The hike in electricity tariff will create more difficulties for the citizens as inflationary pressures are elevated.
“Our manufacturing sector will similarly be impacted negatively. Not only are they paying higher interest rates on their bank loans but also paying more for diesel, paying higher wages as a result of the new minimum wage. The President’s men are pushing the economy into a deeper crisis. His reforms are without a human face.
“It is important that we understand the root cause of the inefficiencies in the power sector before unleashing another dose of reforms. It is time to revisit the privatization exercise that produced the DISCOs.
“Tinubu must (a) ensure that these reforms are sequenced, (b) implement measures to mitigate the pain, and (c) hold the NERC responsible for ensuring improved service delivery,”.
Reports said that following the tariff hike, Lagos, Kano, and 10 other states have concluded plans to start generating power in their respective states in conformity with the Electricity Act 2023.
It was gathered on Thursday that some of these states had established their electricity market laws and were waiting for the approval of the NERC to have independent regulatory bodies different from the NERC owned by the apex government.
As the states stepped up efforts to generate electricity, the Federal Government’s 240 per cent power tariff hike for consumers in Band A enjoying 20-hour electricity attracted more condemnations on Thursday.
Several groups, including the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, civil society organisations, and the Nigeria Electricity Consumer Advocacy Network, warned that the hike would worsen the plight of Nigerians.
