The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Agency, NERC, has clarified that it has not issued any order to electricity distribution companies on a purported electricity tariff hike starting January 1, 2024.
Dr Usman Abba, the spokesperson of NERC, made this known on Sunday.
His reaction comes amid a report of a planned electricity tariff hike starting from January 1, 2024.
However, NERC, the commission responsible for regulating Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, stressed that there was no such order on electricity tariff increment on January 1, 2024.
“NERC has not issued any order to DisCos concerning tariff hike; we usually have meetings with all stakeholders before any proposed increase, but we’ve not had any meeting with any DisCos concerning price increase,” Abba said on Sunday.
Earlier, Kunle Olubiyo, the President of the Nigerian Consumer Protection Network, said any planned electricity tariff hike on the part of the government would be outright irresponsible
According to him, Nigerians were still grappling with the effects of fuel subsidy removal, rising inflation and other economic reforms by Tinubu’s administration.
“Increasing electricity tariff at this time, coupled with the impact of fuel subsidy removal, inflation, and other hardships facing Nigerians, will be insensitive on the part of the Government.
“It is outright irresponsible for the government to allow an electricity tariff hike,” he said.
Recall that in November 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stopped the implementation of the new electricity tariff, insisting on a power sector subsidy.
Speaking on Tinubu’s directive on electricity tariff hike, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu said, “The power sector is an industry that is very sensitive to any leader.
“You cannot jump overnight and implement the cost-reflective tariff. I can tell you that till today, the government still subsidises power”.
NERC’s quarterly reports indicated that electricity subsidies gulped N204.59 billion in the third quarter of 2023 and N135.23 billion in Q2, substantially higher than the N36.02 billion in Q1 2023
