April 7, (THEWILL)- The recently announced electricity tariff hike is nothing more than an unjust reward for inefficient service delivery and underperformance by the various power distribution companies (DisCos) in the country.
A big slap on the faces of helpless electricity consumers across the country, the April 3 tariff hike is another way of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
The announcement by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the DisCos had jolted many Nigerians when it was made last week, more so, as it came with a whopping 300 percent increase at a time most Nigerians are going through serious hardship.
According to the Vice-Chairman, NERC, Musiliu Oseni, who announced the new tariff structure, customers in Band A, representing 15 percent of the 12 million electricity customers in the country, who have been paying N66 kilowatt per hour will now pay N225 per kilowatt per hour under the new tariff regime.
Band A customers are those who enjoy between 20 and 24 hours electricity power supply daily. Those in Band B have power supply between 16 and 20 hours, while the Band C customers are those who enjoy power between 12 and 16 hours.
However, in reality, most of the DisCos have been short-changing their customers by charging them at a particular rate without giving them power that is commensurate with the charges, with the so-called Band A customers hardly having up to between 20 to 24 uninterrupted power supply.
It was therefore not surprising that reactions to the tariff hike have been overwhelming with widespread condemnation across the country from the organised labour, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Associations of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), civil society organisations and the Nigeria Electricity Consumer Advocacy Network, as they all warned that the hike would further worsen the plight of Nigerians.
Although the tariff hike was due to the removal of subsidy on electricity by the Federal Government, another recommendation by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following a similar withdrawal of subsidies on petrol, the rationalisation made last Friday by the Minister for Power, Adebayo Adelabu, that Nigerians are complaining because they are used to cheap power does not hold any water.
Rather, it was a subtle insult on Nigerians as he was indirectly telling us that we are not disciplined, the same way former President, Muhammadu Buhari, labelled Nigerian youths as being ”lazy.”
However, the tariff hike might be a blessing in disguise as it has now triggered the interest of many states in floating their Independent Power Plants that will eventually free them from the manipulations of the DisCos.
The Federal Government should therefore ensure that services rendered by the DisCos must be commensurate with the charges they are imposing on Nigerians as nothing stops the masses from having an uninterrupted power supply as is being done in advanced climes.
States should also be assisted with all the necessary incentives to float their own IPPs if the government is really serious and sincere about its promise to provide seamless and uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians.
