The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has decried the recent hike in electricity tariff and called on the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and the Distribution Companies (DisCos) to reverse the decision.
According to the student body, the decision to increase tariff by over 300 percent for customers on Band A feeder arrangement would aggravate the harsh economic situation in the country.
The position of the body was contained in a statement endorsed by the National President, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, made available to Vanguard on Thursday.
“We would like to emphasize that this band includes not only over two million households but also companies and industries. The increase in tariff will have a negative impact on the prices of goods produced by these industries, further impoverishing the poor.
“As a pressure group that opposes oppressive measures, we firmly believe that this new pricing policy is poorly thought out and will only worsen the economic hardships faced by the middle and lower-class citizens. We will not stand idly by while regulatory bodies like NERC implement policies that harm the masses.
“Therefore, we urge NERC and other relevant authorities in the electricity sector to reconsider their decision and return to the previous tariff rates to avoid the anger of teeming Nigerian students.”
