The Nigerian Senate has ordered the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to put an end to the increase in electricity tariff which was effected on February 1.
The increase, which is estimated to be over 40%, generated a massive wave of protest from the Nigeria Labour Congress across states in the country with workers in Lagos, Abuja and Edo state, besieging electricity distribution offices to demand for a reduction in the tariffs.
The Senate, after deliberating on the issue on Tuesday, reached a decision to direct the NERC to put a hold on the increase in charges.
The senate president, Bukola Saraki revealed the position of the Senate on the matter through his Facebook page.
He wrote: “Today, the 8th Senate directed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to immediately suspend the February 1st, 2016 tariff hikes, which are estimated to be upwards of 40 per cent.
“This move is necessary because any increase in cost, without the necessary improvement in service delivery by the power companies is unacceptable.
“Furthermore, the power distribution companies must work to ensure that every establishment in Nigeria is provided with capabilities for metered billing. Doing this would end the sharp practice of arbitrary billing, which estimates the power consumption of Nigerians in the generation of their monthly bills.”
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