The Federal Government (FG) has been given a seven-day ultimatum to reverse what has been termed as an unlawful electricity tariff or face legal action.
The ultimatum was issued by a Lagos-based human rights organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) which also charged President Muhammadu Buhari, to “direct the Minister of Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, and the Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Professor James Momoh, to immediately reverse the unlawful, unjust and unreasonable increase in electricity tariff, which reportedly occurred in December 2022.”
SERAP in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, equally asked the President to “ensure the investigation of the spending of public funds as ‘investments and bailouts’ by successive governments to electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and generating companies (GenCos) since 2005, and prosecution of cases of corruption and mismanagement.”
It recalled that consequent upon the reported approval by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), electricity tariffs were increased across DisCos in the country last month. SERAP also stated that several prepaid customers have reportedly confirmed the increase. Both the Minister of Power and NERC have refused to confirm or deny the increase.
According to SERAP: “The increase in electricity tariff would exacerbate the extreme poverty across the country, and undermine the ability of millions of Nigerians to satisfy basic human needs.
“The increase in electricity tariff failed to follow due process. It is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended], the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, and the country’s international human rights obligations.
“Millions of Nigerians continue to live in darkness despite the spending by successive governments of trillions of naira as investments and bailouts to electricity companies.”
