FG Says 85% Of Nigerians Enjoy Electricity Subsidy.

Federal Government says about 85 per cent of Nigerians still enjoy the electricity subsidy in the country, while, over N1 trillion would be saved from the fresh tariff hike.

It stated this in response to reactions from Nigerians over the increment in electricity tariff recently announced for Band A customers by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

This is coming after NERC had on April 3 said, the tariff increment for Band A power consumers from N68 to N225 per kilowatt-hour with immediate effect, while, the regulator had said the new tariff signified a removal of electricity subsidy for Band A consumers who constitute about 15 per cent of the total number of power users across the country.

A statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Rabiu Ibrahim, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said 85 per cent of the Nigerian population who fall under different categorizations of the new electricity supply regime still enjoy the subsidy, stressing that, the disproportionate amount of electricity subsidy, approximately 40 per cent, was benefiting only about 15 per cent of the electricity consumer population, comprising affluent individuals and industrial clusters, who enjoy about 20 hours of electricity.

The minister also said, the new Electricity Act, signed by President Tinubu, had strengthened the governance structure of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and empowered the agency to place severe sanctions on electricity distribution companies for infractions relating to billings and supply of electricity to consumers.