Suspend implementation of electricity tariff increase, Reps tell NERC

Nigeria’s House of Representatives, on Monday, charged the electricity industry regulator, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to halt the implementation of the newly increased electricity tariff.

The lawmakers arrived at the resolution during plenary on Tuesday after adoption a motion of urgent public importance.

The motion was sponsored by Hon Nkemkanma Kama, a Labour Party (LP) lawmaker from Ebonyi State.

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It will be recalled that the Federal Government through NERC, had on April 3, approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

According to the commission, customers under the category, who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily, would begin to pay N225 per kilowatt (kW), starting from April 3 — up from N66.

The latest increase has attracted severe criticism from Nigerians, including lawmakers at the federal level.

However, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, while defending the tariff hike before the Senate Committee on Power on Monday, said the federal government could not afford to pay subsidies on power anymore.

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