…as consumers, other laud NERC’s action
Reacting to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) directive to the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) to suspend the electricity tariff hike expected to begin today until to 30 June 2020, the President of the Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, Kunle Kola Olubiyo said the suspension was timely as he had called for that earlier.
He said: “Even if you and I can afford any amount of money for electricity tariffs increase, what about our brothers and sisters in the villages and the vulnerable poor Nigerian consumers? That’s the point.”
An Abuja-based customer, who simply identified herself as Stella, expressed delight over the commission’s directive, saying that “this shows that the industry regulator has a listening ear as almost all consumers nationwide had strongly opposed the proposed hike due to the challenging economic situation in the country.”
Another customer in Lagos, Sunday Effiong, told Daily Trust that he was elated by the announcement because “paying more for my consumption in this my barbing saloon will be a big problem for me. I have been thinking about this for some time and even prayed that God should not allow that to happen.
“This means God has answered. Now, I pay about N1,500 per month based on what bills they give us in this complex”, Effiong said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Engr, Saleh Mamman, has justified the threemonth suspension of the proposed electricity tariff hike which should have become effective today, saying the shift of the implementation timeline is among the emergency measures in the power sector in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Engr. Mamman, in a statement by his spokesman, Aaron Artimas on Tuesday, said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced a 90-day delay in the implementation of any tariff measures. This is even as he maintained that government’s discussions on the Siemens power deal to ensure improved power network were still on track.
He said: “The 3-month delay in the implementation of tariff measures is consistent with the President’s announcement on March 29th granting a moratorium for certain Federal Government funded facilities to the Nigerian public.”
The minister commended the Distribution Companies (DisCos) who are in direct contact with customers saying they promised to take measures to maintain power supply in this difficult time, pleading “I would like to implore that the DISCOs uphold these commitments.”
The minister said the sustained infrastructure investments with the Siemens under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) and the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP) to support increased power supply remained among the government’s nine key emergency measures.