Tariff hike: Reps Minority Leader condemns moves, cautions NERC against excise

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu on Thursday condemned the moves by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)  to hike electricity tariff in the country and cautioned the Commission to shelve the idea in the overall interest of the Nation.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday,  the Minority Leader maintained that any increase in electricity tariff would further exacerbate the economic situation in the country, as it would worsen the already excruciating financial burden on homes, personal businesses, companies and the overall productive sectors.

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Hon. Elumelu insisted that Nigerians were currently passing through grave economic stress and anything that would aggravate the situation, such as an increase in electricity tariff, “is completely unacceptable”.

The Minority leader who noted that electricity was pivotal to the economic and social lives of Nigerians urged NERC to rather seek ways of making power affordable and available to Nigerians, in line with its establishment laws, instead of an increase in tariff.

Hon. Elumelu assured that the minority caucus in the House would continue to protect the interest of Nigerians in this regard by monitoring prevailing tariff on electricity as well as levies on other essential services in the country to ensure that Nigerians were not overburdened.

The Minority leader, therefore, directed all members of the minority caucus in relevant committees to intensify their oversight functions in this direction in the interest of Nigerians.