The Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to revert to the previous electricity tariff or risk legal action.
Seyi Olawunmi, the branch chairman, made this announcement during a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday. Olawunmi criticized the nearly 300% increase in electricity tariffs as both unjustifiable and insensitive.
The chairman said that the purported subsidy had reportedly been removed by the Federal Government, leading to an over 300 per cent increase in the electricity tariff payable by the end-user.
He stated that the directive from the National Electric Regulation Commission (NERC) regarding the tariff increase did not align with the current economic conditions faced by the average Nigerian.
He emphasized that if the Federal Government and relevant parties did not revert the unlawful electricity tariffs within seven days, the branch would pursue appropriate legal action.
Olawunmi highlighted that in December 2023, NERC introduced a new Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO 2024) outlining a purported cost-reflective tariff applicable to the various Distribution Companies (Discos).
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He clarified that a significant portion of the electricity tariff was supposedly covered by the Federal Government through a subsidy arrangement.
“We view this sudden astronomical increase in the end-user tariff irrespective of the technical arguments preferred in justification, as utterly exploitative and non-reflective of the current economic hardship that the masses are going through.
“The inflation and the depreciation of the Naira has affected their services that it is practically impossible to remain on the old tariff and electricity in Nigeria is not well priced.
“We, therefore, demand immediate stop to the illegal implementation of the N225 per kWh imposed on the so called band A customers at the discretion of both the Discos and NERC without any empirical basis.
“The classification into band A or B or C or D or E should be scrapped and it is either the Discos are guaranteeing 24 hours supply for all or they are not.”
Mr Olawunmi said the government and the Nigerian people can not continue to subsidise their inefficiency in the name of band A or B or C etc.
“If the government fails to reverse the illegal hike within seven days, we will be left with no choice than to seek appropriate remedies in the court of law,” the NBA Chairman said.
NAN
