NACCIMA denounces electricity tariff rise

By Osifo Godfrey

The National Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture [NACCIMA] has come out to decry the alarming rise in electricity tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission [NERC] recently.

The National Vice President, NACCIMA, Billy Gillis-Harry, said that prior to the increase, consumers were already over billed due to lack of efficient management of the system. “Whether we like it or not, we are paying more, because if your bill is N2, 000, you will discover that your consumption is not up to N1, 000,” he said.

Meanwhile consumers have begun to lament the move to increase the electricity tarif, worsened by the present state of petro in the country, especially when the power generation is not stable. Mr. Oruma, an ice block manufacturer said the crazy bills that the Power authority brings to the consumer are already outrageous. ‘’In my area at Igando, a lot of consumers still complain of estimated bills, I think the consumers are being fleeced’’  ’’ he said.

Last week, while appreciating the fact that power supply to household and businesses had dropped by 725 megawatts, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, had recently said subject to budgetary provisions, the ministry would build some critical infrastructure to transport gas to the power plants in order to add 2,000MW to the country’s stock of electricity in the next 12 to15 months.

Before, average of 3,832.29MW was produced by the national grid but last week dropped to 3,107. 31MW.