By Chris Ochayi

ABUJA—The National Assembly, has rejected the subsidy and tariff hike proposed by the power operators and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.

The Senate Committee on Power announced the rejection of the proposal when it’s Chairman, Senator Ben Bruce led the members on oversight function to the commission in Abuja.

The committee described the lack of power supply and demand for increase in tariff or subsidy as factor of monopoly created in the power sector.

Briefing newsmen shortly after the meeting, Senator Bruce said, “What I don’t want is for us to leave NEPA as a monopoly and create other monopolies with GENCOs or DISCOs and that is what we have had. Instead of having government monopoly, we now have monopoly in the private sector.

“For instance, if you want power in Benin, it is not that you have an option. There is only one Disco in Benin, only one Disco in Lagos, only one DISCO in Abuja. You don’t have other DISCOs to compete with, you only have one.

“So, if they tell you the rate is N100, it is N100 that is my problem. Two, if there is going to be an increase, I am familiar with increase of 3%, 5% annually. I am not favour as a Nigerian citizen of a 200 percent increase, the same way I am not in favour of a 200 percent increase in petroleum or any product.

“Nigerians are suffering enough and because Nigerians are suffering, I cannot in good conscience say to the average consumer of power in the village you are going to have a 300 percent increase and the argument they make is that it is the only way there would be power.”

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Chiefpriest1:
Lol. Hike this , hike that. Same imbecilic arguments every time.

They told us investors will rush to build refineries when the price of petrol is increased. Yet, close to two years, not even one.

Has anybody noticed that they are alreading agitating for another rise in price to N165.

They said when electricity tariffs are increased, investors will pump money into the sector. They almost doubled the unit cost in the last one year, yet things are worse.

Bunch of confused human beings.

repogirl:
This people should kuku kill us finish.

Gas hiked
Petrol hiked
Kerosene hiked
Electricity hiked

Even indomie and ten naira biscuit hiked! Na to kill us remain nah!

duni04:

Please stop spreading false information. Refineries take as long as 2-3 years to build. The subsidy was only removed April last year, less than a year ago. Dangote is building a refinery in Lagos that will cater to the supply needs of the entire West Africa, plus the refineries we already have are being refurbished. Nigeria should be a net exporter of Petroleum products by 2018/2019.
We would have stable power now if those idiots in the creeks stopped blowing up pipelines. Gencos cannot generate the power they need because of gas constraints. Discos cannot supply the very little they are supplied with because they have not been able to invest in the distribution network because the banks are not giving them money again. Between paying for the power from the Gencos and investing in upgrading the distribution network, almost nothing is left.
Banks are not giving credit because of the impact of the dollar scarcity on their books. There is dollar scarcity because the price of oil has plummeted, and also because those idiots in the creeks are blowing pipelines.
Whichever way you look at it, those idiots in the creeks account for almost all the problems in our power, economic and financial sectors.