The Aba Power, Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company (DisCo), has dismissed media reports that an Abia State High Court has voided the new electricity tariff from the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for its customers or that of any of the other 11 DisCos in the country.
NERC had ordered a new tariff for Aba Power effective January 1, 2025, on December 30, nine months after it had approved a new tariff for the other DisCos. Aba Power Communication and Brand Manager, Edise Ekong, said: “It is untrue and completely misleading for the online media to claim that Justice Enyinnaya Ikpeazu of the IsialaNgwa High Court in Abia State has directed Aba Power to revert to the old tariff.
“An amorphous group called the Aba Electricity Consumers Forum went to the Abia State High Court in protest against the new NERC order, but the judge ruled that the group is unregistered and, therefore, unknown to the law. It has no legal standing.
“Rather than tell the public the court’s decision, the group went into a propaganda overdrive to mislead electricity consumers so that they will not pay the new tariff.”
Ekong also explained that the court directed the promoters of the unregistered group led by one Ike Opigwe to appear before it as individual electricity consumers.
The Aba Power spokesperson urged customers to continue to pay the new rate in the Aba Ring-fenced Area covering nine of the 17 council areas in Abia State.
“This is the right thing to do because the Federal Government has already announced that there will be a significant increase in tariff anytime from now, perhaps this month.
“The significant increase is a major step by the Federal Government in its desire to end the huge subsidies to both generation and distribution companies amounting to over six trillion naira despite their privatisation since November 2013.”
Ekong observed that Aba Power is the only DisCo that has not benefitted from any subsidy, adding that the generation arm of the Geometric Power Integrated Power Group has not benefitted from the government’s financial support either
The Guardian
