The Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, has directed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to inform all Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to revert to tariffs that were applicable in Dec. 2020.
This was made known in a statement by the Senior Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of Power, Aaron Artimas on Thursday in Abuja. He said the reversal was made in order to promote a constructive conclusion of the dialogue with the Labour Centers (through the Joint Ad-Hoc Committee).
Aaron said that, “I have directed NERC to inform all DISCOs that they should revert to the tariffs that were applicable in December 2020 until the end of January 2021 when the FGN and Labour committee work will be concluded.
“This will allow for the outcome of all resolutions from the Committee to be implemented together.”
The minister also debunked the report that the electricity tariff has been increased by 50 percent saying, “I would like to affirm that these reports are inaccurate and false. It is unfortunate that these reports have led to confusion with the public.
“On the contrary, Government continues to fully subsidise 55 per cent of on-grid consumers in bands D and E and maintain the lifeline tariff for the poor and underprivileged.
“Those citizens have experienced no changes to tariff rates from what they have paid historically, aside from the recent minor inflation and forex adjustment. Partial subsidies were also applied for bands A, B and C in October 2020.”
Mamman stated that the measures taken were aimed to reduce the effects of the pandemic while providing a more targeted intervention for citizens. He added that the public is aware that the Federal Government and the Labour Centres have been engaging in positive discussions about the electricity sector through a joint Ad-hoc Committee.
The minister said the committee which is led by the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity Festus Keyamo, and Co-Chaired by the Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Jedy-Agba has made significant progress which are set to be concluded by the end of January.
Mamman stated that, “Some of the achievements of this deliberation with Labour are the accelerated rollout of the National Mass Metering Plan and clamp downs on estimated billing.
“Improved monitoring of the Service Based Tariff and the reduction in tariff rates for bands A to C in October 2020 (that were funded by a creative use of taxes).”
The minister further added that the role of the government is not to set tariffs but to provide policy guidance and an enabling environment for the regulator to protect consumers and for investors to engage directly with consumers.
According to him, Bi-Annual Minor reviews to adjust factors such as inflation are part of the process for a sustainable and investable Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). He also stated that the regulator must be commended for implementing the subsisting regulations while putting in place extensive actions to minimize the adverse impact on end user tariffs.
Mamman said, “The administration is committed to creating a sustainable, growing and rules-based electricity market for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“The administration and the Ministry of Power will also continue to devise means to provide support for vulnerable Nigerians while ensuring we have a sustainable NESI.”
