The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, has given the Federal Government and Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) a seven-day ultimatum to reverse to the old electricity tariff or face a lawsuit.
The chairman of the branch, Mr Seyi Olawunmi, said this at a news conference in Lagos, yesterday.
Olawunmi described the increase in the electricity tariff by almost 300 per cent as not only unreasonable but also insensitive.
He said the National Electric Regulation Commission (NERC) order in respect to the tariff hike was not in line with the current economic realities of an average Nigerian.
He said the branch would seek appropriate remedies in the court if the Federal Government and concerned individuals failed to reverse the illegal electricity tariffs within seven days.
Olawunmi noted that NERC in December 2023, issued a new Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO 2024) which indicated a purported cost-reflective tariff chargeable by the various Discos.
He explained that large chuck of the electricity tariff was reportedly absorbed by the Federal Government under a subsidy arrangement.
The chairman said that the purported subsidy had reportedly been removed by the Federal Government, leading to an over 300 per cent increase in the electricity tariff payable by the end-user.
“We view this sudden astronomical increase in the end-user tariff irrespective of the technical arguments preferred in justification, as utterly exploitative and non-reflective of the current economic hardship that the masses are going through.
“The inflation and the depreciation of the Naira has affected their services that it is practically impossible to remain on the old tariff and electricity in Nigeria is not well priced.
“We, therefore, demand immediate stop to the illegal implementation of the N225 per kWh imposed on the so called band A customers at the discretion of both the Discos and NERC without any empirical basis.
“The classification into band A or B or C or D or E should be scrapped and it is either the Discos are guaranteeing 24 hours supply for all or they are not.”
Olawunmi said the government and the Nigerian people can not continue to subsidise their inefficiency in the name of band A or B or C etc.
“If the government fails to reverse the illegal hike within seven days, we will be left with no choice than to seek appropriate remedies in the court of law,” the NBA Chairman said.

A rowdy session marred the resumption of the Senate plenary yesterday as senators fought over the seats at the newly renovated chamber.

The plenary had started around 11 am and immediately after the procession, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, read out announcements, specifically the names of the lawmakers who had celebrated their birthdays while the Senate was on break.

While the announcement was ongoing,  Senator Sahabi Yau (APC, Zamfara North) raised his voice at the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) while he in return pointed his finger at Yau as if giving him a stern warning.

Immediately, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) joined Yau in shouting at Bamidele and the chairman, of Senate Services, Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) who was in charge of the seating arrangements.

The Tide learnt that the fight was triggered by the seating arrangement in the newly renovated hallow chamber.

Some ranking Senators were said to have been angry at the seats allocated to them in the front row on the last right side of the aisle.

The Senate President eventually told them to approach the chair one after the other but Yau didn’t oblige him.

The rowdy session lasted for about 20 minutes as senators bickered.

After the Senate President read his welcome-back speech, the Senate leader, moved that the Senate resolved into a closed-door session.

The Senate later, at about 12: 05 pm,  dissolved into an executive session.

The Senate had on March 20, adjourned plenary till April 16, but postponed resumption twice to allow for the completion of the chamber which had been under renovation since 2022.

The Federal Government yesterday flagged off commercial train operations on the Port Harcourt-Aba rail line for use by members of the public.

The Tide reports that the commencement of the train service has previously been postponed twice.

The jinx was, however, broken yesterday when the Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, performed the commencement of commercial services on the 62.0 kilometres of the Port-Harcourt to Aba corridor at the Railway Station in Port Harcourt.

Alkali said the ceremony was part of the intensified drive by the Federal Government to facilitate trade, enhance mobility and accessibility, and ensure connectivity between the southern parts of the country and the northeastern part of the country.

He said the rehabilitation project was awarded by the Federal Ministry of Transportation to Messrs China Civil Engineering and Construction Company with a completion timeline of 36 months.

Senator Alkali stated, “Due to several technical and contractual issues, the project commenced in March 2022.

“It is worthy to note that the scope of the project covers the rehabilitation of the existing narrow gauge railway line, the construction of new modern stations, and the procurement of new modern rolling stock.

“This railway line will also link the ports of Onne, Bonny, and Port-Harcourt to facilitate the evacuation of goods and other freight through the Eastern Corridor.

“The Federal Government, in the contractual agreement, is to provide 15 per cent of the direct construction cost, inclusive of land acquisition and value-added tax, while a bank loan through direct construction cost is to cover 85 per cent of the project.”

He further said that the commencement of operations along this section of the project aims to boost economic activities between the South-South and South-East regions of the country pending completion of the other sections of the project.

According to him, “With the completion of the rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt to Aba rail corridor, the Ministry will continue to vigorously drive Messrs CCECC towards the speedy completion and delivery of the 181-kilometre Aba-Enugu stretch.

“Commencement of operations on this stretch of the project aligns with priority five of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Presidential Priority Areas, which identify enhanced infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth for the economy.”

The highlight of the occasion witnessed the Minister and his entourage, along with some members of the public, boarding the train for a ride to Aba, Abia State.