Electricity tariff hike: Senate summons NERC, power minister

The Senate Committee on Power has summoned the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the top echelon of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to appear before it for an investigative hearing on the recent electricity tariff hike in the country.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, disclosed this on Monday during an oversight function of the committee and familiarisation tour to the Federal Ministry of Power in Abuja.

Abaribe said, “The Senate has already authorised an investigative hearing scheduled for the 29th of April, 2024. The major agencies of government will answer questions.

“We have summoned the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). We will give them an opportunity to speak to the electricity tariff hike. The minister of power is, of course,  expected to appear too.”

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Abaribe, who was in company with many senators in the committee including Senator Dajuma Goje (Gombe Central), Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), Osita Izunaso (Imo West), among others, expressed worry over the poor power situation in the country, saying the time to act is now.

Speaking during the opening session, the minister enumerated the challenges affecting the power sector to include poor funding, vandalism, issue of right of ways, lack of gas, among many others, and asked the committee to support the power ministry to achieve its mandate.

The Senate committee also inspected a power project on the premises of the ministry and held an oversight with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on the issue of power generation and transmission.

Senator Abaribe expressed worry that despite the huge sums of money injected into the power sector, the key players still lamented an avalanche of challenges and questioned why the TCN and other agencies in the power sector had consistently allowed the collapse of the power grid over the years.

He, however, said the committee would report to the Senate, as requested by the TCN top echelon, to see if there could be a review of its annual budget for improved service delivery.