Former Vice President and opposition leader Atiku Abubakar has condemned the electricity tariff increase in Nigeria, saying the decision is ill-advised and wrong-timed.
MDB had reported that the management of electricity companies in the country on Wednesday began the implementation of the new ‘service reflective’ tariff as approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Read Also: Electricity Tariff Increase Takes Effect From Sept 1 – NERC
The news has however been met with criticisms from many Nigerians, including the former vice president, who took to his official Twitter page to decry the move.
He said the increase should not have come at a time Nigerians are recuperating from economic hardship following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that affect businesses.
Atiku tweeted;
I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised.
I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised.
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) September 3, 2020
Speaking on the tariff hike on Tuesday, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO)’s head of corporate communication, Sani Shawai, said the new tariff shall apply to all customers with pre-paid meters from September 1.
He added that customers with post-paid bills shall receive bills under the new tariff in October 2020.
Shawai expressed that the initiative;
Will boost supply to all businesses and households while improving delivery of service and resolution of grievances, in line with KEDCO’s commitment to all its customers.
The new tariff regime will be strictly based on service availability and quality supply. Thus, all customers shall be required to pay for their consumptions based on hours of supply they enjoy.
Like KEDCO, all the electricity companies in the country have also begun the implementation of the new tariff regime.
Under the new service reflective tariff, customers have been classified into five tariff bands – Band A, B, C, D and E. Minimum hours of supply across these tariff bands range between four and 20 hours.
