A wave of frustration has swept through residents and business operators in Abuja in response to the recent electricity tariff increase.
The surge in tariff has elicited widespread outcry, with both individuals and business owners voicing concerns over the detrimental effects on their livelihoods and financial well-being.
They lamented that many households are grappling with the prospect of inflated electricity bills, further stretching their limited financial resources.
Recall that Credible News had earlier reported that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has has ordered the immediate upward review of electricity tariffs from Wednesday, 3 April.
The NERC Vice Chairman, Musiliu Oseni, who disclosed this while speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday explained that the increase will see customers pay ₦225 kilowatts per hour, up from the current ₦66 noting that electricity customers in Band A would be affected by the increase.
Oseni said these customers represent 15 percent of the 12 million electricity customers in the country.
He added that the commission had also downgraded some customers on Band A to Band B due to non-fulfilment of the required hours of electricity provided by the electricity distribution company.
The increment is said to affect customers resident in Maitama, Asokoro and Wuse according to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
The decision, which comes amidst a backdrop of economic challenges and already strained household budgets, has left many citizens reeling from the anticipated financial burden.
“For low-income families already struggling to make ends meet, this hike will present an additional strain on their already precarious financial situation,” a civil servant Mr. Bolaji John said.
A resident of Maitama, Mrs. Memunat Kabir who claimed that no consumer enjoys 20 hours power supply in the FCT told Credible News that the government ought to have looked into how to improve the electricity situation before introducing any hike.
“I think what they have done is a misplacement of priority because trust me, no household can boast of enjoying even 15 hours uninterrupted power supply, talk more of 20.
“If they want to increase the tariff, fine, but first thing first, improve the supply of power, then later on you can increase it so that people will understand why they have to pay more,” she said.
A legal practitioner who pleaded anonymity labeled the action as preposterous and highly insensitive.
“Sincerely speaking, it is preposterous and highly insensitive of the government to have increased electricity tariff against the backdrop of removal of fuel subsidy that has already plunged many homes into untold hardship.
READ ALSO: Electricity tariff to increase as FG announces new gas price for power generating companies
They should have increased the minimum wage first before getting on anything that would further take away money from the pocket of the common man,” he said.
Business owners and entrepreneurs alike have also voiced their apprehension, fearing that the hiked tariffs will escalate operational costs and diminish profitability.
An official of a Financial Investment Company at Statement Hotel Complex, Central Business District, Wuse 2, Chidalu Echem said “just yesterday we received a notice from the management of the office space we rented informing us that the increase will take effect from this month. What this means is that we will be paying more than what we used to pay before, and by this, we also have to increase our rates too which will fall back on the consumers of our services.”
Amidst the mounting discontent, unions have also condemned the tariff hike as unjust and exploitative. They argue that the government’s decision fails to consider the socio-economic realities faced by ordinary citizens, further widening the gap between the ruling elite and the marginalized populace.
Deputy President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Dr Tommy Okoh, said the hike is unacceptable and a recipe for unrest, urging the government to allow the poor to breathe.
He said: “The hike in the electricity tariff from 66/kwh to 225/kwh for people who enjoy electricity supply for 20 hours per day is totally unacceptable and a recipe for unrest.
This shows clearly that Nigeria is not ready for 24 hours electricity supply. As we speak, you cannot point anywhere in Nigeria that people are enjoying 20 hours of electricity supply, not even at the airport where it is expected for economic reasons.
“We think the government has goofed again especially at this time of socioeconomic challenges where the cost of living is very exorbitant and the salary of the workers remained static.
“Today, we are still battling with the fuel subsidy removal without any corresponding remedy and yet the increase in the electricity tariff without the supply of electricity. This government should know that they were not voted into office for the enslavement of the citizens but to protect and better the lots of the masses. This is an indication that the poor can no longer breathe.”
In response to the public outcry, the Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu in a Press Conference on Friday defended the tariff increase, citing the need to enhance the efficiency of the electricity sector. He asserts that the hike is necessary to address the longstanding infrastructural deficits and improve the reliability of power supply across the country.
However, critics remain skeptical of these claims, questioning the transparency and accountability of the regulatory process.
As the debate rages on, residents and business owners in Abuja are bracing themselves for the imminent impact of the tariff hike on their daily lives.
Credible News.ng
