- His warning followed the rejection of the new tariff regime by the Senate committee, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe
The Federal Government has warned Nigerians that they will be thrown into total darkness if they don’t accept the hike in electricity tarrif.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, issued the warning on Monday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Power at an investigative hearing over the recent electricity tariff hike by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Adelabu disclosed that there would be total blackout in the country in the next three months if the proposed electricity tariff hike does not take effect.
His warning followed the rejection of the new tariff regime by the Senate committee, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Adelabu said, “The entire sector will be grounded if we don’t increase the tariff. With what we have now in the next three months, the entire country will be in darkness if we don’t increase tariffs.
“The increment will catapult us to the next level. We are also Nigerians, we are also feeling the impact.”
Adelabu said the inability of the government to pay outstanding N2.9 trillion subsidy was due to limited resources, hence the need to change measures to sustain the sector.
He appealed to the lawmakers to throw their weight behind the process of paying the debt owed operators across the value chain of generation, transmission and distribution
But the Senate Committee on Power, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said Nigerians, who are already grappling with severe economic hardship, can’t be subjected to another astronomical hike in essential commodity like electricity.
He expressed concerns over the plight of Nigerians, and asked the minister and other key players in the sector to explore other options.
Senators Simon Lalong (Plateau South) and Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), said consultations were not made before the tariff increase, stressing palliative would have been provided in the process.
Abaribe, who is Chairman of the Committee said, “What Nigerians wanted was a solution to the issues and ways to ensure liquidity in the sector.”
He also decried the nonappearance of a company “ZIGLAKS” over the failed agreement to provide prepaid meters for Nigerians, alleging that the company had received N32 billion in 20 years to meter Nigerian electricity consumers.
Other stakeholders who made presentations at the investigative hearing were the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (NAN), Association of Power Generation (Gencos), Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) among others.
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