‘Nigerians yet to recover from petrol subsidy removal’— Ndume kicks against hike in electricity tariff

Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, has rejected the recent increment in electricity tariff.

On Wednesday, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

The commission said customers who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily, will pay N225 per kilowatt (kW), starting from April 3. The new rate is almost three times the existing figure.

Since the announcement, there has been a public outcry against the new tariff.

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In a statement on Saturday, Ndume, representing Borno South, said Nigerians are yet to recover from the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.

“The news of the increment came to me and many of my colleagues as a shock. It also came at a time when the National Assembly was on a break.

“Personally, I think the timing of this hike is very wrong. Nigerians are grappling with many challenges.

“To put this fresh responsibility on them is very unfair. Nigerians are yet to recover from the fuel subsidy removal of last year.

“Many Nigerians are still grappling with the ripple effects the removal had on them. To now come up with this is wrong.

“I believe that the timing is wrong. There ought to have been some consultations, especially with the national assembly as representatives of the people. We were not consulted. We saw the news like every other Nigerian.

“The inflation is still very high. The prices of food commodities, drugs, transportation, school fees, and other daily expenditures are still on the high side.

“The minimum wage has not been increased. Many state governments are yet to even pay the current minimum wage of N30,000.

“How do we expect the people to survive? We’ve to be very realistic and feel the pulse of the people we represent as a government,” he said.

The lawmaker said the federal government should first provide stable electricity and slow down inflation before implementing a new tariff for electricity.