Analyst commends EERC for slashing electricity tariff, says regulator broke jinx

The Chairman of Guild of Public Affairs Analysts in Enugu State, Dr Ambrose Igboke has commended the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC) for reducing the electricity tariff in the state.

According to him, the action, which has drawn negative criticism from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), had opened can of worms in the electricity sector.

He said: “The recent slash in electricity tariff by the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission has opened a lot of can of worms in the pricing regime of the Electricity Tariff.

“The action of EERC was purely based on calculations that even Mainpower Subco and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) have not been able to fault.”

According to him, Discos have been charging consumers what they have received subsidies for, yet the NERC looks the other way while discos collect double fees.

Igboke described the hitherto tariff regime as lacking substance, saying that it should be discarded.

“It is curious that NERC is fighting EERC.

“The baseline argument put forward by NERC lacks substance and should be discarded, ” he said.

According to him, regulatory powers should be absolute for EERC and other subnational electricity regulators in the country.

It would be recalled that the EERC had issued directive to the MainPower electricity to reduce tariff from N209klw to N169klw

But Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC had faulted the directive, contending that it was not within the power of the state to perform such functions.