The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has condemned the increase in electricity tariffs across the country by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Recall that the NERC recently approved a 200 per cent tariff increment for Band A consumers, allowing power distribution companies to raise electricity prices for city dwellers from N68 to N225 per kilowatt-hour with effect from April 1, 2024.
The minority leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, calling it insensitive, inhuman, and uncalled for.
He said such an abrupt increase placed an unbearable burden on the already strained populace, exacerbating economic hardships and widening the chasm of inequality among the citizenry.
“Such a hike, which is over 200 per cent above the rate of inflation, utterly disregards the plight of ordinary citizens, who are grappling with the adverse effects of the removal of oil subsidy,” he said.
According to him, the citizenry had been faced with galloping inflation, unemployment, and inadequate access to basic amenities.
“We note that in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of the tariff hike, NERC claimed that the hike affects only 12 per cent of electricity consumers who enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of electricity a day.
“The truth has become stark that this is stark lie. The hike, from data put out by the DISCOS, affects all electricity consumers,” he added.
