There was mild drama on Monday when the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, was addressing the National Assembly, only to have the power supply abruptly cut off.
Adelabu was answering questions from the lawmakers during an investigative hearing on the rising electricity prices, organized by the Senate Committee on Power, when the incident happened.
However, the power was swiftly restored within five minutes.
Speaking about the power interruption, Eyinnaya Abaribe, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, expressed his concern over the implications of the minister’s remarks regarding the stability of electricity in the country.
He said, “You see what just happened. This is what we all experience. We, the Senators, experience it too, and I am sure even the President does experience it at the Villa, just that he cannot speak out like we are.”
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), under the guidance of the Federal Government, recently approved a significant increase of 340% in electricity tariff for customers classified under Band A.
As stated by the Vice Chairman of NERC, Musliu Oseni, customers in Band A will now be required to pay N225 per kilowatt hour, compared to the previous rate of N66. It is important to note that Band A customers are those who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that customers falling under this classification makeup 15% of the total 12 million electricity customers in Nigeria.
However, it is worth mentioning that customers in other bands will not be affected by this tariff review.
In response to the recent increase, the Senate has summoned the Minister to explain and justify the decision.
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‘Accept Tariff Increase or Face Total Blackout’ – Power Minister Tells Nigerians