The Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has threatened to drag the federal government to court if, after seven days, it failed to reverse the recent electricity tariff hike.
The chairman of the branch, Seyi Olawunmi, who made the threat at a press conference held in Lagos yesterday, described the hike as exploitative and non-reflective of the current economic hardship that the masses of Nigerians are going through.
Olawunmi, therefore, called for an immediate stop of the illegal implementation of the N225 per kWh imposed on Band A customers at the discretion of the Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) and National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) without any empirical basis.
The lawyer further stated that the NBA decided to hold the press conference based on the recommendation of a committee set up by the branch at its monthly meeting of April 2024 to carry out a holistic investigation on the sudden surge in electricity tariff.
He said from the committee’s findings, it was evident that the recent tariff hike for customers under Band A received very sharp disapproval from the general public.
Olawunmi claimed that the previous hike in tariff since 2013 had not led to any form of improvement in the sector and that the regulatory agency and the Discos are in bed to exploit the Nigerian people.
The NBA chairman said there was no empirical evidence of DisCos’ investment in the sector, but what is seen is the government paying subsidies to them without any corresponding improvement.
He said, “It is the position of NBA Ikeja Branch that the NERC order made regarding the electricity tariff hike is anti-people. It smacks of the Policy of a Government (acting through its Agency) that has lost touch with the daily realities of its average citizen.
“An increase in electricity tariff by almost 300%, we dare say, is unreasonable and downright insensitive.
“The timing of the order could not have been worse. At a time when Nigerians are already grappling with the crunching effects of the economic realities exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidies and rising foreign exchange, which have drastically affected their purchasing power and driven the cost of living through the roofs, Nigerians are now expected to deal with purchasing electricity at an exorbitant price.
“It came at a time when the take-home pay of an average Nigerian can no longer take them home. It is not lost on us that there has been consistent clamour for a review of the National Minimum Wage. But before that is actualised, one wonders how average Nigerians are expected to liquidate electricity bills that surpass their income.
“It is on this basis that we urge the federal government and NERC to reconsider the current electricity tariff of Band-A consumers and immediately reverse course by reverting to the previous rate of ₦67 per KW in light of the profound implications and varied impacts of the tariff adjustment on the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians, potentially depriving them of the crucial and essential aspect of daily living being access to energy.
“Every government must make the lives of its citizens easy. The policy, as presently constituted, does not make life easy for Nigerians.
“By asking customers under Band A to pay more, thereby ignoring those in other bands, is the government indirectly creating a class distinction contrary to sections 16 and 42 of the 1999 constitution as amended and to section 116 of the Electricity Act, 2023?” Olawunmi said.
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