Electricity tariff hike: NGO urges caution

I-WIN, an NGO, has called on electricity stakeholders in the country to adopt dialogue to resolve the recent contentious electricity tariff hike.

Mr Agbonna Onwumere, the spokesperson of the NGO, made the appeal in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Onwumere was reacting to the Lagos Federal High Court judgment nullifying the increase on the electricity tariff increase announced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) from Feb. 1.

The court on Wednesday described NERC’s decision to hike electricity tariff as “irrational, irregular and illegal”.

The court, therefore, directed the reversal of the electricity tariff and restrained the regulatory body from further tariff increment.

The increment generated mixed reactions from electricity stakeholders across the country, including the organised labour and electricity distribution companies.

In its reaction, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) lauded the decision of the court, describing it as a “judicial and courageous judgment”.

However, Neil Croucher, DisCos Chief Executive Officer, criticised the verdict, stating that they were yet to receive a copy of the judgment.

Croucher said they would appeal the judgment.

Mr Kola Adesina, Chairman Egbin Power Plc, also said that “electricity cannot be sold below its cost.

“If a product is being sold and everybody knows the cost of the product and somebody says no, make sure your price is less than the cost of production, the answer is obvious,” Kola said.

“The issue at hand is not an opinionated matter, what everybody must do at any point in time is to look at the consequences of the decision being taken.”

Onwumere observed that the judgement had a potential to hurt the Nigerian electricity market and the country’s economy.

The spokesman said: “This is yet another spanner in the works, not too long ago, the DisCos took NBET to court to restrain it from escrowing their accounts.”

He explained that reactions suggest that “the Nigerian electricity market seems to be an entity at war with itself with a seeming inability by key stakeholders to come together and resolve all lingering issues”.

According to him, with this type of situation, it becomes unthinkable to dream of attracting investors finance for the infrastructure improvement.

Comments

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...

NDLEA arrests 252 suspects, seizes 3,073 kg Indian hemp

NDLEA operatives The NDLEA in Niger on Monday said that it had arrested 252 suspects and seized 3,073.9 kilogramme of Indian hemp(cannabis sativa) in the state. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Joseph Iweajunwa, who disclosed this in Minna, said that the operations were carried out between January and September. “Our operations in Niger State from January to September 2016 led to the arrest of 252 suspects and seizure of 3,073.997 kilogramme of cannabis sativa,’’ he said. Iweajunwa said that within the period, the agency also seized 1, 530 litres of liquid drugs, especially cough syrup with codeine. He said the NDLEA also counselled and rehabilitated 90 drug addicts in the state within the period under review. The agency, he added, secured convictions of only nine of the suspects because the judge at the Federal High Court, Minna, went on leave. “ Now that the judge has resumed more suspects will be tried,’’ he said. He advised motorists, especially commercial vehicle dri...

Global Naija Info

Search This Blog