IBEDC electricity tariff hike: Consumers threaten mass protest

Consumers, marketers, non-governmental organisations, social groups and community representatives from the Southwest states have warned the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc not to implement its planned electricity tariff hike.

The stakeholders, who vented their anger on the company during a public hearing facilitated on the proposed electricity tariff hike by the company, threatened a mass action, should the proposal succeed. 

The distribution company had applied to the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for an upward review of tariff, which made the NERC called on electricity consumers within its coverage areas to a public hearing in Ibadan.

The IBEDC presented reasons for possible review of the tariff to the stakeholders at the event. In a welcome address, the Chairman of the panel of NERC, Commissioner Musiliu Olalekan Oseni explained to stakeholders the importance of collating their input.Hardly had Oseni finished his address that consumers started presenting their complaints about IBEDC’s unsatisfactory performance.

They faulted the statistics churned out by IBEDC through Mr. Deolu Ijose. According to Ijose, the challenges in the sector include the purchase of energy, which was pegged at N9.7 since 2015; loss of N38.9bn in 2019; need to repay loan borrowed from the Central Bank of Nigeria; shortfall in collection of tariff running into N81bn and stealing of energy, among others.He proposed a new tariff of over N31. Reacting, Mr Ololade Hamzat Adebimpe from Oyo Parapo argued there was no need for tariff increase; rather, IBEDC should supply prepaid metres and block all revenue loopholes.

Other speakers like Abiodun Bamigboye, a human right activists, Adebayo Adegbite, from Initiative for Sustainable Infrastructure Development and Alhaji Yusuf Adebayo from Monatan, all concluded that there was no need for tariff increase.