The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has given assurance that customers who do not currently enjoy 20 hours of electricity will not be required to pay the newly proposed tariff.
The Minister made this statement on Monday while appearing before the Senate Committee on Power for a one-day investigative hearing on the proposed increase in electricity tariff by eleven successor electricity distribution companies.
The proposed tariff increase has been met with widespread criticism due to the current economic situation in Nigeria.
The Minister acknowledged the difficulties faced by citizens and assured that the government is working to address the issues in the power sector.
According to the Minister, the Federal Government would pay ₦2.9 trillion to subsidize electricity this year if the tariff is not reviewed.
The government has introduced a new policy aimed at saving the struggling power sector, and the Minister assured that the difficulties are temporary.
During the session, the Chairman of the committee, Senator Eyinnnaya Abaribe, and other committee members raised questions about the migration of customers from previous customer classes to different bands. They also sought clarification on whether the band classification was in line with the provisions of the law.
The development comes on the heels of the recent increase in electricity tariffs for consumers in the Band A category by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
