The House of Representatives has asked the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to refrain from introducing a new increment tariff in respect of Band A customers.
This was disclosed during a plenary session on Tuesday by the lower chamber.
According to them, the resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Kama Nkemkanma.
It should be recalled that NERC raised the electricity tariffs for Band A customers by 230 %, from 68 to 225 kWh per kilowatt hour. The customers in band A are those that spend 20 hours or more a day receiving electricity.
The Vice Chairman of NERC, Musliu Oseni, in a press statement said Band A accounts for 15 per cent of the 12 million electricity consumers in the nation.
In addition, he explained that the Commission had reclassified customers in Band A, moving some of them into Band B as a result of not having met the necessary electricity supply hours.
“We currently have 800 feeders that are categorised as Band A, but upon reviewing those feeders’ performance, the Commission has now reduced it to under 500. This means that 17% now qualify as Band A feeders. These feeders only service 15% of total electricity customers connected to the feeders.
“The commission has issued an order which is titled April supplementary order taking effect from today. The commission now reviewed further the application by the distribution companies and has decided that only 17% of feeders and less than 15% of customers will be affected by any rate increase that the commission will ever approve for the distribution company.
“The order takes effect from today (April 3) and in that order, the commission has approved a rate review of ₦225 per kilowatt hour for just under 15% of the customer population in NESI. That means that less than 15% of the customers will be affected,” Oseni stated.
However, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Power on a one-day investigative hearing on the need to halt the proposed increase in electricity tariff by the eleven electricity distribution companies on Monday, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said any customer on Band A who is not currently enjoying 20-hour electricity, would not pay the new tariff.
