Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the federal government for increasing electricity tariff at a time the country had just come out of COVID-19 lockdown.
Atiku said it was ‘ill-timed’ and ‘ill-advised’ for the government to raise the electricity tariff when many Nigerians have earned no income in months.
“I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised,” the former vice president said in a Facebook/Twitter posts.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on March 29 announced lockdown of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The federal government had subsequently imposed nationwide travel ban which lasted for several months before it was lifted at the beginning of July.
Then on Wednesday, September 2, the federal government increased the ex-depot price of petrol to N151.56 per litre.
Consequently, oil marketers increased the pump price of the product to N161 per litre from N148.