Oscarline Onwuemenyi
22 December 2015, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The National Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, has warned the Federal Government against the planned increase in electricity tariff.
The National Vice President of NACCIMA, Prince Billy Gillis-Harry, who gave the warning in Abuja, said that there was need to involve the stakeholders in deciding what the consumer will pay.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, announced on Monday that it has approved “small increases in energy charges” to the different classes of consumers by the electricity distribution companies, Discos.
According to Gillis-Harry, it was not proper for the government to just wake up and said this is what the consumer would pay on electricity without involving them.
“The decision should come from pool of opinion every stakeholder should be part of it because the negative impact would be on all looking at economy that is.”
He insisted that before the proposal for the increase in tariff, consumers have been paying more than what they consume because of the compromise in the system.
“Actually we do not need to muzzle Nigeria because for any policy or projection, ordinarily a minister should not be the one canvassing for that, there should be processes by which those cost should be evaluated.
“Whether we like it or not we are paying more, because if your bill is N2000 you will discover that your consumption is not up to N1000. There is a compromise in the system so when they gave that bulk of responsibility back to ordinary Nigerian, you are just trying to kill the zeal of that Nigerian to become somebody.
“We don’t want Nigerians to be discouraged. Before Federal Government takes any policy decision to make this increase, they should work with the stakeholders and check what it is,” he said.