Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, faulted the upward review of electricity tariff in the country, saying it is “ill-timed.”
Abubakar stated this in a tweet, saying the action was a display of insensitivity to the current feelings of Nigerians.
He said that rather than an increase in electricity tariff, Nigerians deserved a stimulus after the COVID-19 lockdown.
President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the implementation of the cost-reflective electricity tariff for the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry in August.
The new tariff regime, which kicked off on Tuesday, is expected to be reviewed quarterly.
The regime proposes an upwardly adjusted tariff for customers who are not averse to paying more to enjoy longer hours of electricity supply, standard voltage profile and faster fault clearance timeliness.
But residential areas classified as “poor” and customers on estimated billing will not be affected.
Atiku in his reaction to the development, however, described the increment as “impetuous disregard for the challenges” faced by Nigerians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former vice president tweeted, “I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face.
“Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised.”
NERC had in a surprise move approved an increase in electricity tariff with effect from September 1, 2020.
Petroleum Products Marketing Company also increased the ex-depot price of petrol from N138.62 to N151.56 per litre on Wednesday.