The Vice-President’s Spokesperson, Mr. Laolu Akande, says that Nigerians will not be affected by the recent rise in electricity tariffs because the rise is directed only at those who experienced reliable electricity for 12 hours and above.
Akande said this on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme on Wednesday.
As gathered by Daily Episode, he replied to a question about how the ‘Economic Survival Fund’ of the Federal Government will relieve the misery of Nigerians in the face of a rise in electricity tariffs and an increase in the price of pumps for fuel.
The Presidential aide said, “Regarding the electricity tariff, the majority of Nigerians will not be paying more and I will like to say that again. Regarding the electricity tariff, the majority of Nigerians will not be paying more and that is essentially because if you are currently receiving anything below 12 hours of electricity a day, your tariff will not go up.
“If you are being asked to pay more if you are in that category, you need to let us know, you need to go to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s platform on social media; go to Twitter, go to Facebook and report so that what the President said is enforced.”
When asked if the electricity tariff hike would not affect the cost of production and ultimately goods, Akande said Nigerians must understand the protection they enjoy.
The Vice-President’s spokesman also said the increase in the pump price of petrol caused by the deregulation of the oil sector was done with good intentions.
He said although Nigerians may face hardship in the short term, the move would have long term benefits including job creation.
