National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has kicked against the new hike in electricity tariff in the country.
NANS public relations officer, Mimidoo Joy, in a press statement, yesterday, said the hike is unjust and unreasonable, urging the government to ensure effective metering for all consumers to eliminate estimated billing and ensure fair charges.
The students body said while it agreed to the importance of electricity to the entirety of the Nigerian populace, the attempt of DisCos to transfer the responsibility for the inefficiencies in the power sector to the citizens through increased tariffs is unjust.
“We as Nigerian students further agree with the rise in the cost of maintenance of electrical infrastructure viz a Viz the challenges associated with power distribution.
“We further agree with the challenges of over loaded electrical lines that have led to the breakdown of power installations.
“The privatisation of the power sector, which was meant to improve generation, transmission, and distribution, has not yielded the desired results due to flaws in supervision and compromise of processes.
“The government‘s inability to acknowledge and rectify these flaws, and instead opting to increase tariffs, is a clear indication of their lack of empathy towards Nigerians,“ it said.
The association further urged the government to reconsider the tariff hike and focus on implementing meaningful reforms in the power sector, saying that the crisis requires a holistic approach.