The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the February 25, 2023 election, Mr.Peter Obi, has cautioned that the hike in electricity tariff should not spread to suffering Nigerians merely sweating it out to eke out their daily living.
Obi, spoke in Bauchi on Sunday, as part of his continued visits to all parts of the country to assist Nigerians fight the impact of the sustained economic hardship, stressing the need for the Federal Government to provide subsidies on electricity tariffs for less-privileged Nigerians.
Obi inaugurated a borehole project in the Sabon Layi Community on the outskirt of Bauchi metropolis, stating that if there was an absolute necessity for an increase in tariffs, it should solely target individuals with the financial wherewithal, rather than burdening those who were already struggling.
Highlighting the importance of supporting small businesses and promoting economic growth, he further stressed the need for a concerted effort to generate more power, insisting that on no account should government allow the increase in tariffs spread beyond rich Nigerians with the deep pocket to pay.
“There are areas where those who could easily afford it are living that can go on. Then you use the resources to subsidise fro those who can’t afford it, because we need to do a lot of improvements in power area. It’s been taking too long where we need to generate and distribute more power.
“But we have to put into consideration that majority of Nigerians are suffering. So, we need to support those areas in order to be able to live and be able to produce something, because when they’re able to produce something, eventually, we’ll be able to pull them out of poverty.
“That’s where my theory of moving from consumption to production comes in. It is a critical part of production. We need to support small business by ensuring that these tariffs are not spread at the same level for the big and for the small”, he said.
Obi, while suing for peace in Nigeria, maintained that seeing each other as the same was the only way Nigerians could live together without rancour, adding that it was for this reason that he had decided to be visiting Nigerians personally rather than sending representatives, because of the need not only to speak to them directly but also feel their pulse.
“I advocate for peace. I’m a man who believes in peace. I’m a man who believes in unity. I’m a man who believes that we’re all the same. I don’t see any difference between you and me. But I have the grace of the almighty to do the right thing. That’s why I’m coming. You could see that I came here personally, I could have easily sent people to do this. No. I’m embracing the communities myself, talking to them myself and listening to them so that we can know how to solve the problems. I’m going to come out with so many things we need to do. We leaders need to do more. We need to go to them more. We need to embrace them more. We need to talk to them more.”
