An interim ruling prohibiting the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and ten distribution firms (DisCos) from raising tariffs has been issued by a high court located in Lagos….CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>

The ex parte order was granted on Monday by Presiding Judge Lewis Allagoa.

Recall that NERC earlier authorised an increase in the electricity cost for consumers classified as Band A on April 3.

According to the commission, starting on April 3, clients falling into this category—who receive 20 hours of power every day—will have to pay N225 per kilowatt (kW).

The minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, had stated in defence that the federal government could no longer afford to provide power subsidies, which is why the tariff hike was necessary.

Stakeholders and organised labour unions, however, have demanded that the raise be reversed because they believe it is unsustainable.

Others are Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDC), Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC), Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), and Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC).

The paper states that the NERC is the second respondent in the lawsuit.

The petitioner prayed that the DisCos and the authority overseeing electricity use permit the continued use of the previous electricity pricing.

The court issued an order restraining the respondents from taking any additional actions, such as cutting off the power supply, until the motion in this case was decided, after carefully reviewing the application and the applicant’s submissions.

“That the order is without prejudice to the obligation of the plaintiff from paying their electricity bill at the old rate,”
the court said.

The hearing on the subject was therefore postponed until June 24.

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