Breaking: FG Again Increases Electricity Tariff

Nigerians would hence experience a hike in the payment of their electricity bill starting from this month, as the Federal Government has again increased the electricity tariff, Naija News understands.

Power consumers across the country will now pay higher than the usual in 2021. The development was revealed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, in its December 2020 minor review of the Multi-Year Tariff Order and Minimum Remittance Order obtained made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.

According to the NERC in the report, the increase which varies, based on different consumer classes kicked off from January 1, 2021.

Naija News understands that there has been a series of debate on the increase of the electricity tariff between the NERC and the Federal Government since last year.

Speaking in October 2020 when the ad hoc Technical Committee on Electricity Tariff submitted its interim report at a reconvene bilateral meeting between Federal Government and Organised Labour in Abuja, NERC Chairman, Prof. James Momoh, said the extension of the new tariff earlier was to enable the committee to review and work out modalities for the implementation of the agreement reached on the electricity tariffs structure.

However, the tariff increase has been effected again as contained in the MYTO order; NERC/225/2020, signed by the new Chairman of NERC, Sanusi Garba, superseding the previous Order NERC/2028/2020.

Giving reasons for the development, the commission said it considered the 14.9 per cent inflation rate rise in November 2020 and foreign exchange of N379.4/$1 as of December 29, 2020.

The commission noted that the new tariff increase would be in full effect through June 2021 while a Cost Reflective Tariff would be activated from June to December 2021.

In another news, Human right activities, Omoyele Sowore, has arrived at the Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja wearing handcuffs.

Naija News reports that Chief Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello is expected to hear the bail application filed on behalf of the Sahara Reporters publisher.