ActionAid Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation working to eradicate poverty in Nigeria has decried the alleged resolution by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, directing the 11 Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to increase their tariffs from Wednesday, September 1, 2021.
ActionAid Nigeria posits that the increase in electricity tariff will further erode the purchasing power of Nigerian workers in formal and informal sectors and will further impoverish the people.
Speaking in Abuja, the Country Director, Ene Obi said the increase in electricity tariff is not only ill timed but insensitive to the precarious plight of Nigerians whose lean disposable incomes are already decapitated.
ActionAid’s position is hinged on the premise that previous hikes in electricity tariffs had not translated to effective and regulatory strategies to manage the impact of such hikes on macro-economic indices affecting end-users that are currently economically crippled and trapped”.
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She said Instead of the tariff hike, NERC should compel all the actors in Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry to ensure increased efficiency in the power sector including managing energy loses to make erratic power supply a thing of the past as a way of boosting productivity and Nigeria’s GDP.
Ene Obi, urged NERC to rescind the decision and ensure that the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry improvess its performance before considering a tariff increase.
ActionAid also called on the Federal Government, to halt the planned electricity tariff increment and uphold its values of transparency, fairness, and accountability by ensuring continuous consultation with the masses while protecting consumer rights.
(Editor:Abaje Usekwe)
