…as Falana accuses FG of pandering to IMF/World Bank
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has assured that any customer not currently enjoying 20 hours of electricity would not pay the new tariff.
The minister stated this on Monday while appearing before the Senate Committee on Power, for a one-day investigative hearing on the need to halt the proposed increase in electricity tariff by eleven successor electricity distribution companies amid the biting economic situation in Nigeria.
According to him, the government had introduced a new policy to save the drowning sector, assuring Nigerians that the pains were temporary.
The clarification comes as electricity consumers grapple with the recent increase in tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The Minister also stated that the Federal Government would pay the sum of ₦2.9trn to subsidise electricity this year if the tariff was not reviewed.
He also explained that the government was concerned, and had introduced the new policy to rescue the sector.
During the session, Chairman of the committee, Senator Eyinnnaya Abaribe raised the question of how customers were migrated from the previous customer classes of Residential (R1, R2, R3), Commercial (C1, C2) and Demand (D1, D2), to different bands.
Abaribe requested to know if the band classification was under the provisions of the law.
He also raised more questions on how the parameters differentiate between regions and areas, citing a portion of the act that highlighted the need for non-discriminatory distribution.
The development comes on the heels of the recent increase in electricity tariffs for consumers in the Band A category by NERC.
The commission had increased the tariff paid by Band A customers from N68/KWh to N225/kWh.
Band A customers receive 20-24 hours of electricity supply daily. Subscribers under Band B enjoy 16 to 20 hours of power supply, while those in Band C receive 12 to 16 hours daily.
Electricity Tariff Hike: FG Acting On IMF, World Bank Script, Says Falana
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria accused the Western countries led by the United States of America of double standard.
Meanwhile, Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has accused the Federal Government of pandering to the whims and caprices of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank following a hike in electricity tariff.
Falana claimed that the move is a policy imposed on the Nigerian government by the Bretton Wood institutions.
“The Honourable Minister of Power is acting the script of the IMF and the World Bank,” Falana said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
“Those two agencies insisted and they continue to insist that the government of Nigeria must remove all subsidies. Fuel subsidy, electricity subsidy and what have you; all social services must be commercialised and priced beyond the reach of the majority of Nigerians.
“So, the government cannot afford to protect the interest of Nigerians where you are implementing the neoliberal policies of the Bretton Wood institutions.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria accused Western countries led by the United States of America of double standards. According to him, they subsidize agriculture, energy, and fuel and offer grants and loans to indigent students while they advise the Nigerian government against doing the same for its citizens.
Tariff hike not justified
Following the outrage that greeted the announcement of the tariff increase, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, explained that the action would not affect everyone using electricity as only Band A customers who get about 20 hours of electricity are affected by the hike.
Falana, however, insisted that neither the minister nor the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has justified the tariff increase.
The senior lawyer said that Nigerian law gives no room for discrimination against customers by grading them in different bands.
He insisted that the government cannot ask Nigerians to pay differently for the same product even when what has been consistently served to them is darkness.
Following the outrage over the hike, Adelabu on Monday appeared at a one-day investigative hearing on the need to halt the increase in electricity tariff by eleven successor electricity distribution companies amid the biting economic situation in Nigeria.
However, Falana said that nothing will come out of the probe by the Senate. He believes the matter has to be taken to court so that the minister and the Attorney General of the Federation can defend the move.
