The Federal Government, on Monday, warned Nigerians that they will be thrown into total darkness if they don’t accept the hike in electricity tariff.
Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, 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).
According to him, 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.
He 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.”
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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
Reacting, 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.
Abaribe 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.
