The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has described the recent increase in electricity tariff in Nigeria as unlawful, unjust and unreasonable.
Reacting to the increase in a statement, the civil society organisation (CSO) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately reverse it.
SERAP also asked Buhari to direct the Minister of Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), James Momoh, to immediately reverse the increase.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the president to ensure the investigation of the spending of public funds as ‘investments and bailouts’ by successive governments to electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and generating companies (GenCos) since 2005, and prosecution of cases of corruption and mismanagement.
Development Diaries reports that electricity tariffs were increased across DisCos in the country around mid-December 2022, after reported approval by NERC.
The statement read, ‘The increase in electricity tariff would exacerbate the extreme poverty across the country, and undermine the ability of millions of Nigerians to satisfy basic human needs.
‘The increase in electricity tariff failed to follow due process. It is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), the Electric Power Sector Reform Act and the country’s international human rights obligations.
‘Millions of Nigerians continue to live in darkness despite the spending by successive governments of trillions of naira as investments and bailouts to electricity companies’.
It further read, ‘The increase is unjustified, especially given the unreliable, inefficient and poor quality of electricity in the country. Rather than providing electricity discounts to poor Nigerians, successive governments continue to give bailouts to electricity companies’.
SERAP noted that if recommended measures are not taken within seven days of the receipt of its publication, it will consider legal actions to compel the government to comply with its request in the public interest.
Photo source: AEDC