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HomeUncategorizedReps Insists On Two-Month Free Electricity For Nigerians

Reps Insists On Two-Month Free Electricity For Nigerians

 

The House of Representatives has insisted on its resolution that the
government grants Nigerians two months of free electricity as part of
palliatives for the COVID- 19 pandemic.


Spokesman of the House,
Benjamin Okezie Kalu, said in a statement that the House was not in
agreement with the Minister of Power that the privatized nature of the
sector was a challenges to providing free electricity for all Nigerians.

The
statement reads: “The House is aware of the statements attributed to
the Honourable Minister of Power, Alhaji Saleh Mamman, where in response
to calls by the leadership of the House for the government to provide 2
months free electricity for Nigerians during this period of the
COVID-19 pandemic, he cited high costs as well as the privatized nature
of the power sector as challenges to providing free electricity for all
Nigerians.

“While these excuses are debatable, most concerning of
all was his argument that the provision of free power would benefit
only the rich to the exclusion of the 80 million Nigerians who are not
connected to the national power grid.

“It is trite, and has even
been acknowledged by the World Bank, that at this critical moment,
energy access for Nigerian households, health facilities, and other
vital public services is fundamental to mitigating the most devastating
impacts of COVID-19 and ensuring a rapid economic recovery for the
nation.

“It is not in doubt that the economic conditions
occasioned by the pandemic has made it harder for low-income customers
and businesses to pay their electricity bills, threatening them with
disconnection.

“Therefore, while acknowledging efforts of the
government and the Minister in ensuring an improvement in the supply of
power, it is imperative that the government takes steps to ensure the
access and affordability of electricity for Nigerians regardless of
class.

“As at April 26, 2020, according to a policy tracker by
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on key economic responses which
governments are taking to limit the human and economic impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic, several economies, including Ghana, Burkina Faso,
Chad, Congo, Gabon Georgia, Togo, Guatemela, Guyana, Indonesia, Ireland,
Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, Samoa,
Saudi Arabia, Slovania, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, UAE,
Vietnam, Montenegro, Bolivia, Egypt and Bahrain, have included in their
stimulus packages, elaborate policies to ensure energy access to their
citizens including partial or complete cancellation of electricity
tariffs.

“The call by the House for free electricity for
Nigerians is borne of a realisation that similar measures have become
necessary to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians as we try to battle
and emerge from this pandemic.

“We therefore maintain that it is
unconscionable to the over 100 million low- and middle-income earners in
Nigeria whose income has been affected by the pandemic, to deprive them
of this electricity tariff reprieve for fear that it would benefit the
rich who do not constitute up to 10% of Nigeria’s population. It amounts
to a disturbing case of punishing the majority for the sake of the
few.”

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