The Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman, has said the federal government will go ahead with the planned increment in electricity tariffs from July.
Mamman spoke yesterday in Abuja at the Investigative Public Hearing on Power Sector Recovery Plan and the Impact on COVID-19 Pandemic, organised by the Senate Committee on Power.
He expressed concern that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the plan for the repositioning of the electricity market towards financial sustainability under the Power Sector Recovery Programme.
According to him, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), following the completion of public consultation on tariff review, initially planned a tariff review in April.
Mamman, however, said due to the COVID-19 outbreak and customers’ apathy, the proposed tariff review was delayed by three months.
“The impact of this means the subsidy being incurred in maintaining the current tariff level had to be maintained till July 2020 when the proposed tariff review will be implemented.
“The challenge we are currently facing in the development and expansion of our transmission line is budget and release of federal government’s commitment in the estimated sum of N32 billion, primarily for Right of Way acquisition and environmental impact mitigation. The fund should be provided for in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Appropriations of the Ministry of Power,” he stated.
The minister added that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an economic impact not just on the health sector, but the overall economy of the country.
0 Comments