News Investigators/ Some electricity consumers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have criticised the Federal Government’s plan to move Bands B and C to Band A.
The consumers expressed their concerns to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday, stating that the move would lead to significant hardship for them.
Emmanuel Odiase, a resident of Nyanya, argued that there should be a uniform tariff for all electricity consumers, regardless of the number of hours supplied.
He emphasised that consumers should pay based on the units consumed, not the number of hours the power was supplied.
Mr Odiase claimed that the government’s plan was a means to further exploit Nigerians and suggested that the price of electricity should be reviewed to create an equal tariff for all consumers.
“What happens to a rich man living in an area designated for the poor, and the poor living in an area meant for the rich?
“If we place everyone on an equal, affordable rate, people will still pay based on the number of units they consume,” he said.
Blessing Okoye, a civil servant living in Lugbe, expressed concerns that the government’s focus was on generating revenue without providing reliable services.
She noted that if the government decided to move all consumers to Band A, the supply of power should be stable and consistent.
“Moving everyone to Band A is not the issue. The government should ensure that the infrastructure is in place for stable power supply,” Okoye said.
Clifford Akpan, a businessman from Kuje, warned that shifting Bands B and C to Band A would increase costs for consumers, as Band A tariffs were higher.
He suggested that the electricity tariff should be reviewed to accommodate both the rich and the poor.
The Federal Government had previously stated its intention to regularise electricity tariffs across Bands A, B, and C to promote efficiency and reliability in the power sector.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, explained that in 2024, the power sector adopted a cost-reflective tariff for about 15 per cent of electricity consumers.
He noted that Band A’s tariff was a pilot scheme that had worked well, with consumers receiving 20 to 24 hours of power supply daily.
“In spite of paying N209 per kilowatt-hour, consumers in Band A are satisfied, as they are better off than when relying on generators,” Adelabu said.
He added that the power sector had seen a 70 per cent revenue growth, from N1.05 trillion in 2023 to N1.7 trillion in 2024, due to the migration of some customers to Band A.
The minister further stated that the tariff would be reassessed in the future to improve on the sector’s growth, revamp the dilapidated infrastructure, and ensure reliable electricity delivery across the country.
Currently, Band B consumers, who receive 17 to 18 hours of electricity supply, pay N63 per kilowatt-hour, while Band A consumers, who get only two more hours of power, are charged N209 per kilowatt-hour.
NAN
