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The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, has fault the plans to hike electricity tariff, by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), saying that the plan is Completely Unacceptable.
Elumelu who totally condemn the plan argued that any increase in electricity tariff would worsen “the already excruciating financial burden on homes, personal businesses, companies and the overall productive sectors.”
The NERC had approved the increment in its December 2019 Minor Review of Multi-Year Tariff Order 2015 and Minimum Remittance Order for the Year 2020.
The commission had said the order was issued to reflect the impact of changes in the minor review variables in the determination of cost-reflective tariffs and relevant tariff and market shortfalls for 2019 and 2020.
It had added that the order also determined the minimum remittances payable by the Discos in meeting their market obligations based on the allowed tariffs.
The NERC had on Saturday directed the 11 electricity distribution companies the country, including BEDC to increase their tariffs beginning from April.
But Elumelu, in statement issued in Abuja, said Nigerians were passing through “grave economic stress,” adding that anything that would aggravate the situation, such as an increase in electricity tariff, “is completely unacceptable.”
He assured Nigerians that the minority caucus would continue to protect their interest “by monitoring prevailing tariff on electricity and levies on other essential services in the country to ensure that Nigerians are not overburdened.”
The statement said the minority leader “directs all members of the minority caucus in relevant committees to intensify their oversight functions in this direction in the interest of Nigerians.”
The minority leader noted that electricity was pivotal to the economic and social lives of Nigerians and urged the NERC to seek ways of making power affordable and available to consumers instead of increasing tariff.
