The Nigerian Senate on Thursday stepped down its Committee report on Power which recommended the suspension of Tariff hike of over 200% from N68/kWh to N225/kWh.
The Committee’s report which received overwhelming support from lawmakers who argued during debate that the increase is discriminatory and ill timed, coming at a time when Nigerians are over burdened with many taxes.
The report met a brick wall after the Chairman of Rules and Business, Titus Zam drew the attention of his colleagues to a ruling by a Federal High Court in Kano restraining NERC from implementing the new Tariff.
He explained that the Court case will have to be settled before the Senate can take any further action on it
ait.live gathered that the Senate Committee report from its investigative hearing on electricity tariff hike, recommended that the astronomical increase of over 200% should be suspended forthwith to allow for robust consultations with customers on the various bands.
Other recommendations are for the the Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), should in the meantime adopt measures to address the problems of power scarcity holistically rather than its preoccupation with price manipulation which has proven to be counter productive.
The report further directs that the Federal Government metering intervention be encouraged and intensified to address current metering gaps of 6.3 million and must be pursued by the Government without prejudice to the statutory obligation of DISCOs to meter their customers
The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin agreed with the submission of Senator Titus Zam with a conclusion that the Senate will consult with its legal team to appropriately guide it on further steps.
The Committee’s report was thereafter stepped down.
