The House of Representatives at plenary on Thursday took steps to stop the planned electricity tariff hike by Distribution Companies (DISCOS).
Consequently, the House urged the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) not to approve any increase in electricity tariff in Nigeria.
This followed the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki from Kano, who recalled that DISCOS recently alerted customers of a planned electricity tariff hike hinged on the Multi-Year Tariff Oder (MYTO).
Madaki noted that the circular issued by DISCOS stated that effective July 1, 2023, there would be an upward review of the electricity tariff influenced by fluctuating rates.
The lawmaker said under the MYTO, 2022 guidelines, the previous exchange rate of N441/$1 may be revised to approximately N750/$1 which would have an impact on the tariffs associated with electricity consumption.
He explained that: “under the planned hike, consumers within ‘B’ and ‘C’ with supply hours ranging from 12–16 hours per day will pay N100 per KWh, while Bands ‘A’ with 20 hours and above and ‘B’ with 16–20 hours, would experience comparatively higher tariffs, that is, for customers with a prepaid
metre, whereas, for those on post-rand (estimated) billing, a significant increment is expected to be higher.”
Madadki expressed concern about the widespread apprehension in the country over the planned introduction of a new electricity tariff regime by the DISCOS.
