Activist kicks against electricity tariff hike over pending lawsuit

He said a case he filed challenging tariff increment was still pending in court. Adebiyi sued the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and others at the Federal High Court in Lagos over unfair trade practices in the electricity sector. Among others, he urged the court to restrain the Federal Government from increasing tariff. Justice Mohammed Idris, on July 13 last year, ruled in the applicant’s favour. Five separate appeals were filed by the defendants; one was dismissed, while the Court of Appeal ordered that the case be re-heard at the lower court. Adebiyi appealed to the Supreme Court on the basis that the Court of Appeal could not refer the matter for re-hearing without giving order to reverse an initial tariff increase which he said was done through self-help and against a subsisting court order. According to him, since the case was still pending, any further tarrif increase would be contemptuous. It was reported last October 14 that electricity tariff may be increased by 61.5 per cent, following NERC’s revelation on October 13 that it was awaiting the Federal Government’s final approval. “It has been incessant tariff increment without commensurate improvement. Tariff increment must be balanced with adequate supply; anything otherwise is not justified. You cannot continue to exploit Nigerians. Enough is enough. “Discos cannot increase tariff and there is no justification for doing so when the matter that touches so much on tariff increment is still pending in court. “It will be a rude disrespect to our rule of law to talk of increment, not until the matter is finally decided by the Supreme Court or reheard by the Federal High Court. Whichever way, the matter is still in Court,” the lawyer said. Adebiyi urged Nigerians to resist the plan to further hike electricity tariff by 61.5 per cent, saying it should not be allowed when millions were dealing with the effects of biting recession. He said the minimum wage has suffered further devaluation due to inflation even as millions of Nigerians are still without prepaid meters four years after privatisation. The lawyer said tariff cannot be increased when electricity supply across the nation remains epileptic, with several companies daily relocating to Ghana due to their inability to operate endlessly on diesel. “Discos cannot increase tariff with the existence of systematic and deliberate estimated billings fraudulently put in place for self-seeking exploitation of consumers. “They cannot increase with the glaring unrepentant pursuit of self-seeking profit-making by the private investors who are not investing, with no significant improvement in sight and with no value for the exorbitant billings,” Adebiyi said.]]>