…Insist it is not beneficial to Nigerian consumers
Chigozie Amadi
Amidst ongoing dust raised by the new electricity tarrif, electricity workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), have renewed their opposition to the hike,insisting that it is not beneficial to Nigerian consumers.
The union noted in a statement signed by its Acting General Secretary, Comrade Dominic Igwebike that the recent hike in electricity tariff from N68 /kwh to N225 /kwh is absurd in a country where the majority of the masses are grappling with basic survival and an electricity access rate of about 55 per cent.
“The justification given by NERC is that the hike is attributed to only Band A consumers who make up only 15 percent of electricity consumers and utilize 40 per cent of the nation’s electricity consumption. It begs to understand the sensibility of the person(s) that uttered such a statement purporting that it would not affect the general public.
” They need to answer these questions: Who are the Band A consumers? What do they do? Who are the customers of the Band A consumers? Who bears the brunt of the electricity hike?
“The general public is the one that will be most affected by this. They are the customers and end- users of the Band A products and services. The additional costs will be transferred to the common man, so they are indirectly being exploited, notwithstanding their dwindling purchasing power and increasing impoverishment “, it also noted.
The union argued that the increased cost of goods will make Nigerian-produced goods unattractive as imported and smuggled items will be far cheaper than it. “People will resort to those goods, thereby fueling the economy and employment situation of the countries of import. “Our manufacturing and business sectors will become comatose” it noted.
NUEE lamented that the Minister of Power and NERC did not allegedly,consult with the stakeholders in the sector before the increasing the tarrif.
“As a critical stakeholder in the Power Sector who is concerned with Nigerians getting constant and affordable power supply, we state categorically that the hike in the electricity tariff is not beneficial to Nigerians and should be withdrawn”, the statement concluded.
