Senate Rejects Planned Electricity Tariff Hike

The Senate has asked the Federal Government to stand down the idea of an increase in electricity tariff by withdrawing subsidy.

The lawmakers have also resolved to probe a failed agreement that would have seen local manufacturers produce Prepaid Meters that would have been distributed nationwide to improve electricity usage.

These resolutions, reached during Wednesday’s plenary, were part of a motion of public importance moved by Senator Aminu lya Abbas (PDP-Adamawa Central).

The lawmakers also agreed that the government must engage the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to develop a lasting solution to the energy billing system in the country.

The legislators further resolved to investigate the operations of DISCOs to ascertain the current status of metering and their extent of compliance with relevant legal and regulatory frameworks in service delivery as well as the release of funds by the Federal Government for mass pre-paid metering.

Also, the Senate will investigate a two-trillion naira subsidy, which the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said would be required to avoid a repeat of the fuel subsidy scenario still bedevilling the nation’s economy.

Following the resolves, the Senate Committee on Power was mandated to equally investigate the 1.3 trillion naira owed by the Ministry of Power to generating companies and 1.3 billion dollars owed to gas companies.