Most Complaining About Tariff Hike Don’t Pay Bills – Minister

• Most Complaining About Tariff Hike Don’t Pay Bills – Minister.

• New tariff reduces Band A costs by 30-40%.

• Tariff aims to alleviate economic challenges, disputes cost increase claims.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has asserted that the Nigerians complaining about the recent tariff increase for Band A customers are primarily those who have not been paying their electricity bills.

Speaking at the 8th Africa Energy Marketplace forum in Abuja, Adelabu highlighted that the new tariff has actually reduced energy costs for Band A consumers by 30 to 40 percent.

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Adelabu emphasized that the tariff adjustment is not meant to burden Nigerians or exacerbate the economic challenges posed by high inflation. He also disputed claims that the new tariff has escalated production costs for manufacturers, which in turn has led to higher prices for goods and services.

Additionally, the Minister pointed out that the tariff hike has resulted in significant reductions in expenses for Band A customers related to generator maintenance, diesel, and petroleum procurement.

While stating that Nigeria should not be suffering from a lack of electricity owing to the abundance of sun, water, and gas, the Minister bemoaned the sector’s failure to get it right for the past 60 years.

He said, “The electricity tariff was not targeted at improvising Nigerians or worsening the already bad economic situation of high inflation rate and naira losing value but targeted at resolving or reducing the hardship of the people.

“Those on Band A, if they should do their arithmetic properly, to compare what they have been spending on energy provision from grid supply and energy generators put together, before the review of tariff, they have achieved nothing less than 30 to 40 percent reduction in their total cost. That is the truth.

“We are also electricity consumers, so we can attest to this fact. It is true that if you are in Band A, your bill would have doubled if not more.

“But check out what you have been spending on your generator servicing, diesel and petroleum procurement, it would have down considerably.

Complaining About Tariff Hike

“So the argument of this new tariff having the capacity of increasing the cost of production and raising the prices of goods and services is not logical.

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“Manufacturers under Band A should have a lower Energy cost by now, thereby, reducing their cost of production. Except those that have not been paying for electricity in the past. We can also come together to compare notes with practical example. But how this new tariff regime will increase the cost of production is not valid because I am in that industry too.”

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