N16 trillion on fuel and generators, anoda increase on electricity tarrif – Nigerians react

Electricity distribution companies (Discos) for Nigeria don announce anoda increase in tariffs for consumers wey dey di Band A category.

Some of di Discos post di information for dia X handles on Wednesday as dem tok say di Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) don already approve di increase, but dem no give details of wetin cause di increase.

Di tariff increase na from N206.8 per kilowatt-hour to N209.5/kwh and e take effect from July 1, 2024.

Remember say in April dis year, di management of Nerc bin announce a big increment in electricity tariff for Band A users from N68/kwh to N225/kwh.

Dis bin cause plenty tok tok as pipo bin don dey complain about di hardship for di country following di removal of fuel subsidey and di big inflation wey follow am.

But in May, di Discos announce say dem go reduce the price from N225/kwh to N206.8/kwh. And on Wednesday, dem announce anoda increment to N209.5.

'Nigerians spend N16 trillion on fuel and generators for 2023'

Dis increment dey come less dan 24 hours afta di Minister of Power, Adedayo Adelabu, tok say a survey wey im ministry conduct show say Nigerians dey spend plenty plenty money to buy power generators and petrol, pass wetin dem dey pay for electricity from di national grid.

Oga Adelabu tok say “di last study we do for 2023 (show say) a total of N16.5tn na wetin pipo spend for dis self (power) generation. Even some of di industries dey off di grid... So spendings for dis sector out of the grid dey close to N20tn".

"Di revenue for di entire industry, I mean di formal power sector, na just N1tn for 2023 wey dey go to di generation companies, transmission company and di distribution companies. Just N1tn formal revenue. But di informal spendings on generators, diesel, petrol, dey close to N20tn.

"Even if na just quarter of dat we put for di official power sector, we dey talk about incremental revenue of N5 trillion wey go bring di sector’s revenue to N6 trillion, sincerely we go get something close to uninterrupted 24/7 power supply in Nigeria.”

Di minister inisist say even wit di increment for Band A electricity users, e still dey cheaper and cleaner dan generators wey dey use petrol and diesel.

Reverse tariff increase, stop band categories - Labour

Di Nigeria Labour Congress and di Trade Union Congress bin don carry protest go di office of di NERC and di Ministry of Power sake of di electricity tariff hike wey happen for May dis year.

For dat peaceful protest, NLC President Joe Ajaero condemn di "discriminatory categorizing of electricity consumers in Bands A, B, C, D, and E".

"We (di organised labour) reject di discrimination. So you mean to say some Nigerians deserve to get electricity more dan odas? How you go talk say some pipo go dey get light for 20 hours and above in a day, while odas go dey get for less dan eight hours? Which discrimination pass dat one?" Oga Ajaero bin tok.

Di NLC also ask di goment to revert di tariff hike wey dem increase for Band A users, sake of di biting hardship wey dey di country.

"Workers still dey earn N30,000 minimum wage, e mean say wit this hike, pesin fit use im entire salary for di month take pay power bill," Ajaero tok.

But di power minister respond di following day say im dey sure say all di pipo we join di protest no dey affected by di tariff increase bicos dem no follow for Band A users.

Nigerians react

Responding to di posts on X, pipo dey mostly complain say dem dey pay di money but dem no dey get di light reach 20 hours as di Discos promise.

"You dey busy dey increase my tariff wen I no dey get light? ... We dey Band A but we no dey always get light for most part of di day? Kuku carry gun nau!" na post by one X user wey im username na @akin_boni in reply to a post by Ikeja Electric, one of di Discos for Lagos State.

Anoda user - @anyoha - write: "We just contribute money to fix our transformer here on band A yesterday. Dis na how una dey follow am up. Still, no lights since dis rain started."



Adedayo Adelabu na di Minister of Power for Nigeria

One X user dey complain about di latest increase of electricity price