Despite the Trade Union Congress’s two-week ultimatum for the reversal of the recent electricity tariff hike, the Nigerian government has firmly stated that there will be no turning back.
In response to organized Labour’s demand, Florence Eke, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Power, confirmed this stand in a statement issued on Sunday.
She reiterated that the rationale presented by Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during the Senate public hearing last week remains valid.
The government emphasized that it will not align with the trade unions regarding the matter of electricity tariffs.
However, the Trade Union Congress remains resolute in enforcing the two-week ultimatum given to the federal government to reverse the tariff.
Additionally, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, criticized the tariff hike.
On April 3, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission announced the tariff increase for Band A customers receiving a minimum of 20 power supplies daily.
An analysis of the tariff adjustment revealed that customers would now be charged N225 per kilowatt-hour, a significant increase from the previous rate of N68/kWh, equating to a 240% surge.
Furthermore, the Nigerian government has argued at various forums that the tariff adjustment would result in savings of N1.5 trillion for the country, impacting only 15% of the 12.8 million electricity consumers.
Minister Adelabu warned during the Senate hearing that Nigeria would face power outages within weeks if the electricity tariff hike is not implemented.