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Tue, Mar

President Buhari, National Assembly, Agree Planned Electricity Tariff Hike Is ill-Timed

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President MuhammaduBuhari, yesterday established common ground with the leadership of the National Assembly on the need to delay the planned increase in electricity tariffs. The National Assembly leadership had met on Monday with the Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, wherein it was agreed that the planned new tariff scheduled to take effect today, July 1, should be postponed till the first quarter of 2021.

 

Both the president of the senate Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, FemiGbajabiamla, remained insistent that though they recognized the fact that the planned electricity tariff hike in the country was necessary, it is ill-timed, considering the financial condition of many Nigerians at the moment

They stressed that several issues such as proper metering must be tackled before such an increase be implemented. Lawan said the share purchase agreement signed by the government and the Discos at the point of the privatization must be adhered to.

“We have come to visit our Vice President, one of our leaders in connection with the impending electricity tariff in the country," MrLawan said.

"The joint leadership of the National Assembly sat on Monday with DISCOs and Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). 

“We believe that this is not the right time to increase the tariff in the electricity sector.

“Nigerians have a lot of challenges today because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation requires that we do everything possible to make life easy for our citizens”

Discos had on Monday told the national assembly leadership that the only condition to halt tariff hike was for the federal government to bear the difference between the current tariff and the proposed one.

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