The Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and the Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) to revoke the new electricity tariff or face legal action.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the branch chairman, Mr Seyi Olawunmi, criticised the 300% increase in electricity tariff as both insensitive and unreasonable.
He pointed out that the tariff hike imposed by the National Electric Regulation Commission (NERC) does not align with the current economic realities faced by the average Nigerian. Olawunmi emphasised that if the major stakeholders fail to reverse the unjust electricity tariff within seven days, they will face a lawsuit.
“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 an 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.”
Olawunmi also said the Nigerian government and the people cannot continue to endorse their inefficiency all in the name of Band A, B, or C.
