Tariff hike: Stop killing Nigerians, economy, Ajaero tells FG

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has urged the Federal Government to stop implementing policies that will “kill Nigeria and its economy”.

Ajaero said this in a statement in reaction to the recent move by DISCOS to hike the electricity tariff for Band A customers.

Discos across the country on Wednesday announced an increment for Band A customers. The new announcements come months after the previous increment.

The PUNCH reports that the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ordered the immediate upward review of electricity tariffs from Wednesday, 3 April.

Band A customers are offered an average daily electricity supply of 20 hours, although many complain they do not get up to that.

NERC had in January said the Nigerian government will pay as much as N1.6 trillion to subsidise electricity in the year 2024.

Unveiling a new electricity tariff plan payable by electricity consumers in the country at the time, the Chairperson of the NERC, Sanusi Garba, said the order states appropriate tariffs that consumers should pay for investors to recover their operating costs.

Mr Garba explained that the order contains the federal government’s policy on ensuring that due to the cost-of-living crisis, consumers will not be made to pay higher than the previous rates.

“The order seeks that prices charged by DisCos are fair to customers and are sufficient to allow DisCos to fully recover the efficient cost of operation, including a reasonable return on the capital invested in the business in accordance with section 116 of the Electricity Act 2023,” Mr Garba said.

However, in a statement he personally signed on Thursday, Ajaero noted that the new increment came on the heels of unresolved contestations around the insane 250% hike in tariff leading to national paralysis including the shutting down of 300 businesses as per MAN.

“The 250% hike drew the ire of the citizenry and rage of organised labour whose members went on a one-day protest for its unreasonableness and violation of extant rules of tariff hike.

“We had demanded a reversal. The only reason that action was paused was a firm assurance from relevant quarters including the National Assembly that the matter would be dealt with quietly.

“That there is another hike instead of a reversal (as promised) is further proof of the insincerity of the government just as it is equally a measure of the government’s insensitivity. We have no doubt that this frequent crass display of insincerity and insensitivity will pit the people against the government or vice versa.

“The three excuses given by DISCOs (exchange rate, interest rate, and cost of gas) as justification for this increase underscore our argument that government and entities in the energy sector are not serious about finding an enduring solution to our energy crisis. For, clearly, they are treating the symptoms.

“Given the further damage this latest wave of increase will do to our economy, we demand an immediate reversal of the hike. It is unjustifiable, unreasonable, and malevolent. Government and DISCOs should stop killing the people and the economy.”