Amid epileptic power supply, electricity consumers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the increase in tariff by the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCOs), describing the action as not justifiable.
The concerned consumers, who spoke in Abuja over the weekend in separate interviews, said DisCos had increased the tariff payable for power across the country without any notification.
They said millions of Nigerians continue to live in darkness in spite of the huge amount of money so far invested by the governments as well as bailouts to electricity companies.
Recall that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in its Multi-Year Tariff Order, provides a 15-year tariff plan for the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry with limited minor reviews each year.
Speaking on the increase, the President, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, Mr. Kunle Olubiyo, said electricity tariff was increased without giving Nigerians the opportunity to make inputs.
Olubiyo said over the years, Nigerians and end users customers were being made to pay for systemic over-bloated cost at the detriment of the citizenry and economy at large.
According to him, the impact of the recent crises in the energy market supply value chain and the recent increase in electricity tariff are quite enormous.
Also speaking, a resident of Kubwa, Mrs. Ese Williams, described the increase as unjustifiable, saying there was no improvement in power supply, so why the increase?
Williams said in spite of the increase in electricity tariff over the years, Nigerians had continued to live in darkness, adding that “in my area, you cannot even boast of having light for seven hours in a day. It’s just so frustrating, I call on the Federal Government to revisit the privatisation of the sector, because it is not working, as things are deteriorating.”
Also reacting to the price hike, a resident of Lugbe, Mr. Kola Jimoh, a mechanic, said he was shocked when he recharged his meter with N3,000, and got only 44 units instead of 50 units he usually gets when he recharges for the same amount.
“I was so shocked when I recharged my electricity meter with N3,000 only to discover I got just 44 units and before when I recharge N2.500 I get about 50 units. I don’t understand how the electricity tariff will be increased without notifying consumers,” he said.
A Banker, Mrs Ebuwa Ojo, who resides in ACO Estate along Airport Road, stressed the need for the regulatory bodies to check the DisCos.
“How can they continue increasing tariffs every time? I am not happy about the increase, it is becoming too frequent and not that the money, or light is there,” she said.
Another consumer, a banker resident in Area 3, Mrs. Titilayo Olowu, said, “They increased the electricity tariff without informing us. There is no official communication to us on the increase, this is not good enough. We have a right to know what is happening.”
On her part, a Public Servant resident in Garki, Abuja, Miss Sandra Offor, said she was not happy with the way her meter was running, adding that she spends about N16, 000 in a week to recharge her prepaid meter.
“I don’t even understand what is happening to my prepaid meter. It is either the meter is bad or there is a problem,” she said.