The Igbo Journalists Association (IJA) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to rescind the decision of the electricity tariff which his government jacked up recently.
The group which is an affiliate body of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide viewed the electricity tariff hike by over 250% as an affront to further create hardship and impoverish the people of the country.
In a press statement signed by the group's National Coordinator and Interim Secretary, Sir Amby Uneze and Dr. Godswill Megwa respectively, "from all indications, Nigerians are still grappling with the hardship which the removal of fuel subsidy by the Tinubu administration has caused, therefore, another policy to continue to stifle the people would amount to sending them to their early grave."
According to the body, Nigerians woke up on Thursday to rudely shocked by the Federal government announcing an over 250% hike in electricity tariff for some consumers amid a paltry electricity supply below 5,000 megawatts. By the directives, Distribution companies (DisCos) will be allowed to raise electricity prices to N225 per kilowatt-hour from N68. What an astronomical increase to further increase the hardship this government had already put the citizens into?
They recalled that, business owners and analysts are of the view that the move will further cut the slim survival rate of an average business and the disposable income of many homes struggling to survive the current economic situation.
"Notwithstanding that electricity distribution companies classified electricity users along the categories of Band A, B, C, D, and E. Each category, however, has a tariff and specified duration of power supply assigned to it daily.
"Before the announcement of the tariff hike, Nigerians daily complained about little or no electricity power supply to their homes and businesses where there is heavy reliance on the use of petrol-powered generator sets – an option being explored by only a few due to a spiking poverty rate at 40.1%
"Many Nigerian households already had a taste of the toughest hardships ever faced in more than 20 years after the inflation rate jumped to 29.90% in January 2024. The cost of living has more than tripled in the last 10 months.
"If we compare the following countries of their electricity tariff and minimum wage, we will be convinced that Nigeria has no place to hike her tariff for whatever reason:
*Electricity in South Africa is N147 per kW/h. Minimum wage in South Africa is N312,000.
*In Calgary, Canada it is N122 per kW/h. Minimum wage in Calgary is N2.3 million.
*In Nigeria, it is N225 per kW/h. Minimum wage in Nigeria is N30,000.
"We, join Nigeria’s opposition leader Atiku Abubakar in his observation that the hike in electricity tariff “will create more difficulties for the citizens as inflationary pressures are elevated” and predicted that Nigeria’s manufacturing sector will be impacted negatively.
"We also enjoin the Federal government to listen to Nigerians when they voice out their grievances over certain unpopular policies especially these electricity hike as well as the fuel subsidy removal," it was stated
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