Businesses Closing Shop Over Electricity Tariff Hike – Joe Igbokwe Tells Tinubu
Seeks policy review
Says ‘I’m spending N20,000 in a day’
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Engineer Joe Igbokwe has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to look into the new electricity tariff to stop massive business closures across the country.
According to the one-time Publicity Secretary of Lagos State chapter of the defunct Action Congress (AC), which later fused into Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and metamorphosed into All Progressives Congress (APC), the development if not addressed urgently will kill many businesses with attendant job loses.
In a post on his Facebook page at the weekend, Igbokwe, former Special Adviser for Drainage and Water Resources to Governor Babajide Sanwo- Olu between 2019-2023, lamented that N20,000 worth of units only lasted him for just a day.
Urging the government to urgently review the electricity tariff to reflect the current biting economic situation, he said; “PBAT, please look into the new electricity tariff in Nigeria.
“It will kill businesses if the government does not act as quickly as possible. I have a small office in Surulere with about about 7 (seven) units of AC.”
The unrepentant apologist of the Tinubu’s presidency further said; “We used to buy 300 plus units for N20,0000. Yesterday we bought N20,000 worth of units and it lasted for just one day. They call it band A group. I pray that we review this”.
Recently, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), decided to group electricity consumers in the country into different bands with those in Band A supposedly enjoying more hours of power supply and also paying a higher tariffs.
Under the Service-Based Tariff (SBT), consumers are classified in Bands A to E as follows: Band A – Minimum of 20 Hours; Band B – Minimum of 16 Hours; and Band C – Minimum of 12 Hours.
However, many Nigerians have continued to demand a policy reversal due to the general high cost and “unsustainable spending” on electricity by individuals and businesses under the current bands categorisation.
