By; BAYO AKAMO Ibadan
The Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) yesterday, condemned and rejected the recently announced increase in electricity tariff in Nigeria by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
CARE in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Chinedu Bosah demanded reversal of the tariff hike, as well as privatization of the power sector.
In the statement, the coalition tasked trade union leadership and leaders of pro-masses organisations in the country to mobilise workers and community people for a struggle to resist both the current and planned electricity tariff hike.
CARE accused President Bola Tinubu government through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) of allegedly imposing, “another provocative hike in electricity tariff for Band A consumers by a whopping 230% – from N68 Kwh to N225 Kwh.
It pointed out that according to NERC, this tariff hike affects about 15% of the total consumers and is targeted at the so-called rich people, saying, ” The reality is that there is hardly any community which is exclusively for the rich.
” As a result, the current cost of living crises will be further aggravated, potentially throwing more working people into poverty.
Therefore, the new tariff should be rejected by working people and youth”, it said.
CARE added, ” Inflation has grown from 22.4 to 31.7 in February 2024 since President Tinubu removed petrol subsidy, increased the price of petrol and devalued the Naira. Rising cost of doing business and low purchasing power have forced many manufacturers to close their businesses with its attendant loss of over 3,000 jobs.
” Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) calls on the trade union leadership and leaders of pro-masses organisations to mobilise workers and community people for a struggle to resist both the current and planned electricity tariff hike”.
It stressed further that, ” Electricity for industries and many businesses in Nigeria reportedly constitutes 40% or more of the total cost compared to 10% in China”, adding, ” This huge cost is one major reason many companies closed down and relocated abroad contributing to a high unemployment rate.
” Hence, it is not true that the outrageous tariff hike for Band A will exclusively affect the rich and middle class, it will also affect workers and the poor. This anti-poor Tinubu-led government is all out to protect the profit and greed of a few while it cares less about Nigerian workers and the poor”.
It stressed, “Given the obvious failure of privatization, there is an urgent need to re-nationalise the power sector, bring it under public ownership and be subject to democratic control and management of the working masses with the view to ushering in massive public investment that will drive the cost of electricity down and making it affordable in the long run for most Nigerian consumers while electricity consumed by the poorest is subsidized’.
