The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), acting on behalf of the Federal Government, has given the green light for a significant surge in electricity tariffs by a staggering 340% for customers falling under the Band A classification.
During a press briefing held in Abuja, NERC’s Vice Chairman, Musliu Oseni, revealed that customers in Band A will now see their electricity tariff surge to N225 per kilowatt-hour, a stark contrast to the previous rate of N66.
Band A customers, who currently benefit from 20 hours of electricity supply daily, constitute approximately 15% of Nigeria’s vast network of 12 million electricity customers.
Oseni further disclosed that due to the failure to meet the prescribed hours of electricity provision by the electricity distribution companies, some customers in Band A have been downgraded to Band B.
In a bid to streamline the distribution network, the commission aims to reduce the number of feeders classified as Band A from 800 to under 500. This shift implies that now 17% of feeders qualify as Band A, while they cater to only 15% of the total electricity customers.
Under the commission’s April supplementary order, customers can expect a supply of 235 kilowatt-hours, although Oseni clarified that this revision would not impact customers falling under other tariff bands.
