07 January 2016, Abuja — The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has said that the take-off date of the new electricity tariff, MYTO 2015, still remains February 1, 2016.
Acting Head of the commission, Dr. Anthony Akah, said in a statement issued by the regulatory agency that at no time did the commission change the date of the take off of the new tariff.
Akah explained further that it was in view of the February 1, 2016 take-off of the new tariff regime that the commission told distribution companies to abide by its directive not to connect new customers without first providing them meters.
It will be recalled that the new tariff regime was announced in less than 24 hours to the end of the tenure of the management team of the commission, consisting the Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, and his vice, Muhammad Lawal Bello, which ended on December 22.
Apart from the public outcry trailing the new tariff regime, the new tariff unveiled by Amadi also contravened the earlier court injunction and resolution of ad-hoc committee of the House of the Representatives stopping the NERC management from taking such action.
The NERC by this action flouted an order by the Federal High Court in Lagos, granted by Justice Ibrahim Idris against any increment which was subsisting and had not been discharged.
Justice Idris made the order on May 28 restraining NERC from increasing tariff in June. The judge later restated the order, saying it subsists until the substantive matter is decided.
Already, the plaintiff in the case, Toluwani Adebiyi, has notified the Minister of Power, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on the development, noting, it was unfortunate that an order of court would be violated in a democracy.
But the commission insisted that the take-off date for the electricity tariff would commence effective February 1.
- Punch