Power Ministry, NERC Forcing Nigerians To Pay For Their Inefficiency – Afenifere

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere has decried the over 200 per cent electricity tariff increase, saying the power ministry and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) are merely forcing Nigerians to pay for their inefficiencies.

Afenifere, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi added that the recent electricity hike will thwart the current administration’s effort at boosting the economy as businesses will shrink.
The group recalled that as recently as Thursday, April 4, 2024, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu underscored the role that the private sector plays in an economy. According to the president, “There is no driver of the economy that is bigger than the private sector.

“If the private sector is not flourishing, there is no growth, no prosperity, no employment or development”.
Afenifere wondered how businesses can flourish as desired by the President when the amount to be paid per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity jumped from N68 to N225 just within 24 hours of its announcement.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday, April 4, 2024, announced that from the following day, Thursday, electricity consumers on Band A would begin to pay N225 per kilowatt hour as against N68 they have been paying up till then.

The minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, corroborated Oseni when he said that the increment would affect only 15 per cent of electricity consumers in Nigeria which translates into only 1.5 million customers.
Afenifere however, took a swipe at this reasoning, and submitted that it is erroneous to say that only those who are direct enrollees in a particular Band utilize the power being supplied through that band.

“For instance, a Band A consumer is likely to have people in his/her household or place of work where the power is being consumed. Meaning that if 1.5 million is the figure the government has as enrollees on Band A, the number of people who depend on the power coming therefrom would be about five times that figure.

“Besides, by calling on players in the power sector to ensure that people get what they are paying for is like putting the cart before the horse”.

The organisation noted that the sing-song virtually everywhere now is the poor supply of electricity and low quality of the commodity sometimes. “If the relevant government agencies are to be sincere with Nigerians, what they should do is to first ensure regular and efficient supply of electricity before acceding to increase in payment for services that are being poorly rendered.’’