Workers, Users Condemn Hike In Power Tariff

Electricity workers and consumers have condemned the increase in tariff which started on July 1.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that under the new tariff regime, consumers will now pay N14 instead of N8 per unit of electricity.

Both electricity workers and consumers told NAN in Lagos that power supply in the country did not justify the increase.

Mr. Bede Opara, the President of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, said the union was not in support of the new tariff because electricity generation was still poor.

“For now there is not enough power generation and supply. Consumers have continued to complain that they pay bills for electricity they did not use; so the increase in tariff is not right,” he said.

Opara said the new tariff might further endanger the lives of workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria who, he alleged, were constantly being attacked by aggrieved consumers.

He added that the increased tariff might raise the level of energy theft as more people would want to use electricity without paying the bills.

The unionist urged the government to increase electricity generation by 3,000 mega watts to increase supply.

Mr. Lasisi Olorunfunmi, the Chairman of the Lagos Mainland branch of the National Union of Local Government Employees, appealed to the government to revert the tariff since Nigerians still spent much money on fuelling power generators.

“We pay our bills but we do not get power supply. I spend about N10,000 monthly to fuel my generator; now I have to pay more for the electricity I do not get. It is sad,” Olorunfunmi said.

He appealed to the government to improve power supply to resuscitate economic activities dependent on power.

Mr. Martins Akinyanju, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers, also said that the increased tariff was not in the interest of the common man.

He said the government should rather improve power generation and distribution as a dividend of democracy to Nigerians.