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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Federal Government has said it will go back to the drawing board to address the issue of electricity tariff hike.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Mamudah Mamman, stated this on Monday while addressing the leadership of the organised labour, on Monday.
Leadership of the organised labour were out to picket offices of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Ministry of Power and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) over the electricity tariff hike, on Monday.
NERC had on April 3 approved an increase in the electricity tariff for customers in Band A (customers who enjoy 20-22 hours of electricity per day).
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have called for a reversal of the tariff hike and a return to the negotiating table.
Mamman said members of the National Assembly have told the ministry that they would go back to the drawing board on the matter.
The permanent secretary assured that the ministry would sit down next week with the leadership of the NLC to see how the issues could be resolved.
“The National Assembly had written the ministry to go and do a wide consultation with all the relevant stakeholders.
“What the ministry does is give policy directions. We realise that the policy direction given is pushing Nigerians to the corner, and we need to do things differently.
“What we need to do is for all of us to come to the table, look at it, and decide what is the best way. I don’t have the power to reverse the tariff, so we will go back to the drawing board with the regulator and NLC.
“I’m going to take your message to the relevant authority, and we will look at it and inform you,” Mamman said.
Ajaero to NERC: We won’t accept band classification
Meanwhile, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),Joe Ajaero, has said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) should reverse the electricity tariff.
Ajaero spoke on Monday when members of the union picketed the headquarters of the NERC in Abuja over the increase in electricity tariff.
Ajaero said the protest was due to NERC’s unresponsiveness to the multiple letters sent by the NLC.
He added that the increase in tariff was arbitrary, noting that NERC did not consult relevant stakeholders before taking the decision.
The NLC president noted that Nigeria has 4,000 megawatts of electricity for over 200 million people, as against the global index of 1,000 megawatts for one million citizens.
“We are here on a peaceful protest, having written so many letters to NERC that they cannot increase tariff without meeting with Nigerians, that the process of adjusting tariff in every tariff methodology requires that they meet with all stakeholders, including labour, that we don’t know where this tarrif is coming from.
“And that NERC is not oblivious to the fact that Nigeria is wallowing in power poverty, that while the whole world gave a global index of one million people for 1,000 megawatts, Nigeria has 4,000 megawatts for over 200 million people.
“What Nigeria is generating today is not enough for Lagos, and it is bad enough to say some Nigerians are better than others; some will get 20 hours, some will get two hours; even in South Africa, such has never happened.
“Use the same magic that you are using to give some Nigerians 20 hours to give everybody in Nigeria 20 hours. Nigerians are saying no to discriminatory power allocation,” he said.
He noted that the Manbilla power plant in Plateau State can generate 3,600 megawatts of renewable hydropower but has been underperforming, 30 years after its inauguration.
Ajaero urged the Federal Government to put an end to all taxes that could further increase the burden on Nigerians.
