By Ogaga Ariemu
Following the approval of a 250 per cent electricity tariff hike by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on Wednesday, DAILY POST outlines what Nigerians should know about the hike.
Recall that NERC approved N225 per Kilowatt for ‘Band A’ electricity customers in Nigeria.
The development represents a significant shift from electricity subsidy in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry amid persistent epileptic power supply nationwide.
Customers Affected by Hike
NERC said that only Band A customers received at least 20 hours of power supplies from the eleven electricity distribution companies.
According to the Vice Chairman of NERC, Musiliu Oseni, only 15 per of the 12.12 million electricity customers in Nigeria are affected.
He explained that the tariff hike would not affect customers on B, C, D, and E, having less than 20 hours of power supply.
Implication of New Electricity Tariff
The hike implies that electricity consumers under Band A will pay 250 per cent more to get a power supply.
This means a complete electricity subsidy removal for customers under Band A.
Band A customers fall within 15 per cent of households in Urban areas in Nigeria.
According to NERC, Band A customers consume 40 per cent of electricity in the country.
However, the hike will not lead to an improvement in the electricity supply to the affected customers.
Date of hike commencement
According to the new tariff order, Discos commenced the implementation of the new electricity tariff on Wednesday, 3rd April 2024.
This means customers under Band A have begun paying 300 per cent more for electricity.
Meanwhile, since January 2024, customers across all bands have suffered epileptic power supply in Nigeria.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, blamed gas constraints for the erratic power supply in Nigeria.
