Ndume urges Nigerian govt to reconsider decision on electricity tariff hike

The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, on Saturday urged the Federal Government to reconsider its position on the electricity tariff hike.

Ndume, who made the call in a statement in Abuja, described the timing of the electricity tariff increase as unfavourable.

He reminded the federal government that Nigerians are yet to recover from the removal of fuel subsidy.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday approved an increase in electricity tariff for Band A consumers.

The decision allowed the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to raise electricity prices from N68 to N225 per kilowatt-hour from April 1.

The lawmaker noted that Nigerians were facing many challenges, including unprecedented inflation, poor purchasing power, insecurity, and other hardships.

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Ndume urged the federal government to focus on providing stable electricity, inflation reduction, stabilise the naira, reduction in food prices, and provision of other basic amenities to Nigerians before the increase in tariff.

He expressed concern that the decision to increase the electricity tariff was taken without due consultation with the National Assembly.

The chief whip said: “The news of the increment came to me and many of my colleagues as a shock.

“It also came at a time when the National Assembly was on a break, personally, I think the timing of this hike is very wrong, Nigerians are grappling with many challenges.

“To put this fresh responsibility on them is very unfair. Nigerians are yet to recover from the fuel subsidy removal of last year.

“Many Nigerians are still grappling with the ripple effects that the removal had on them.

“I believe that the timing is wrong, there ought to have been some consultations, especially with the National Assembly as representatives of the people, we were not consulted, we saw the news like every other Nigerian.

“The inflation is still very high, and the prices of food commodities, drugs, transportation, school fees, and other daily expenditures are still on the high side, to now add this new burden is unfair.

“The minimum wage has not been increased, many state governments are yet to even pay the current minimum wage of N30,000. How do we expect the people to survive? We have to be very realistic and feel the pulse of the people we represent as a government.

“For me, I think the Federal Government should, first of all, provide stable electricity, reduce inflation, stabilise the naira, and prices of food commodities.

“Then, the purchasing power of Nigerians must significantly improve before we can place a fresh responsibility on them as a government.

“The Federal Government needs to allow the National Assembly to also step in and consult because we represent the people. We feel their pulse, and we know what they are going through right now.”

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