The Electricity Consumers Association of Nigeria said on Monday it was not part of the decision by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to increase electricity tariff for residential consumers.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Sam Amadi, had announced that the increase in tariff for residential consumers would begin in June.
The President of the ECAN, Goodluck Enyinna, told NAN in Abuja that the association rejected the increase in totality.
Enyinna said the association had informed the commission to rescind its decision to increase electricity tariff for residential consumers.
According to him, the association has had cause to challenge the commission on some of its policies that concerned electricity consumers.
Enyinna stressed that the association would continue to resist any attempt by the commission to increase electricity tariff for vulnerable Nigerian consumers.
He said: “The association has told the commission that the decision to increase tariff should be put on hold until stakeholders come together to discuss the matter.
“We are not in support of the increment in electricity tariff.
“Why will the commission want to increase tariff when there is no improvement in electricity supply?”
Enyinna alleged that the commission must have been compromised by the distribution companies for it to continue to increase tariff without improved power supply.
He also blamed the commission for not doing enough to ensure that the service providers provided prepaid meters for consumers and also addressed the issue of “unscrupulous” estimated billing.
Enyinna said that some manufacturing companies had agreed to provide meters to the distribution companies, to be paid for by the companies, as the consumers paid back.
Meanwhile, Amadi has denied allegation of compromise by the commission.
Amadi, who described the allegation as an idle talk, added that the commission was working to ensure that consumers get quality service delivery from the service providers.
He said that the commission had asked the distribution companies to freeze increase in tariff for a period of six months, for power supply to improve.
He said: “We have asked the DISCOs not to collect any new tariff from residential consumers for six months and they are not happy about that.
“So what is the compromise here.”
On the issue of meters, Amadi said that the commission was working hard to ensure that every consumer was metered.
Amadi said electricity workers were not stakeholders as defined by the electricity framework, but they could attend any of the meetings when there was a public notice.
The chairman said that the commission was at liberty to invite any person it wanted to its meetings.
He added: “The days of PHCN when they were lords is over.
“It is the Nigerian consumer who is our king and not special interest persons who have been paid.”
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