Amaechi: Electricity consumers react as Atiku vows to scrap Band A tariff, restore full subsidy

Electricity consumers have reacted to a proposal by Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers State governor and running mate to African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, to scrap the Band A electricity tariff and restore full subsidy to the power sector.

Recall that Amaechi, while speaking with his supporters in Rivers State, said Atiku told him that he would restore full electricity subsidy.

DAILY POST reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, in 2024, increased electricity tariffs for Band A consumers, who are guaranteed a minimum of 20 hours of power supply daily.

However, Amaechi announced that Atiku would scrap the tariff if elected on January 16, 2027.

Reacting to Amaechi’s comment, the President of the Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, Kunle Olubiyo, said in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST that during election seasons, political gladiators are fond of making bogus statements that are never implemented.

“The truth of the matter is that, from the point of view of gatekeepers, non-state actors and non-governmental organisations, during election season like this, we usually don’t identify with political gladiators, because people like to make bogus political statements to play to the gallery.

“What is of interest to our mainstream political gladiators is their access to allocation of oil assets, signature bonds and the distribution of national wealth. You understand?

“So, some of those things they usually say, it’s just to catch old people.

“It’s a normal thing in an election cycle, where people say this and they do the opposite. They are trying to say things that, you know, resonate with the electorate and the populace,” he told DAILY POST.

He added that Nigeria’s electricity sector should be made commercially viable, noting that the real challenges are technical losses, commercial losses, leakages and energy theft.

“Electricity sector must be made to be commercially viable. But the issue that is of concern to us, you know, with benefit of insight, are the technical losses and commercial losses. The leakages. There are a lot of leakages, there are a lot of electricity that is not being accounted for,” he added.