The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in last year’s election in Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has asserted that the increase in electricity tariff by the President Tinubu government will create more difficulties for Nigerians.
In a post he made on X which was sighted by Africa Today News, New York, Atiku said the Federal Government was unleashing another dose of reforms without adequate notice and without an adequate post-reform plan to mitigate the pain.
He wrote: “The increase in electricity tariff comes at a time when Nigerian citizens are going through excruciating difficulties occasioned by the withdrawal of subsidy on PMS and floating of the domestic currency.
“The government has not successfully dealt with the pains associated with the implementation of those measures, and now this. The hike in electricity tariff will create more difficulties for the citizens as inflationary pressures are elevated. Our manufacturing sector will similarly be impacted negatively. Not only are they paying higher interest rates on their bank loans but also paying more for diesel, paying higher wages as a result of the new minimum wage. The President’s men are pushing the economy into a deeper crisis. His reforms are without a human face.
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“It is important that we understand the root cause of the inefficiencies in the power sector before unleashing another dose of reforms. It is time to revisit the privatisation exercise that produced the DISCOs.”
The former Vice President also listed things Tinubu must do following the hike in electricity tariffs.
“Tinubu must (a) ensure that these reforms are sequenced, (b) implement measures to mitigate the pain, and (c) hold the NERC responsible for ensuring improved service delivery,” he wrote.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Nigerians have continued to cry out over the tariff hike.