Power Minister, NERC Appear Before Senate Over Electricity Tariff Hike

Ministers of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Monday, appeared before the Senate Committee on Power, for a one-day investigative hearing on the need to halt the proposed increase in electricity tariff by eleven successor electricity distribution companies amid the biting economic situation in Nigeria.

During the session, Chairman of the committee, Senator Eyinnnaya Abaribe raised the question of how customers were migrated from the previous customer classes of Residential (R1, R2, R3), Commercial (C1, C2) and Demand (D1, D2), to different bands.

Abaribe requested to know if the band classification was under the provisions of the law.

He also raised more questions on how the parameters differentiate between regions and areas, citing a portion of the act that highlighted the need for non-discriminatory distribution.

The development comes on the heels of the recent increase in electricity tariffs for consumers in the Band A category by NERC.

The commission had increased the tariff paid by Band A customers from N68/KWh to N225/kWh.

Band A customers receive 20-24 hours of electricity supply daily. Subscribers under Band B enjoy 16 to 20 hours of power supply, while those in Band C receive 12 to 16 hours daily.