Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has passed a vote of ‘no confidence’ on the Federal Government, saying that the minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has failed Nigerians.
Falana was reacting to Adelabu’s appearance before the Senate on Monday to defend the increase in the electricity tariff and what Nigerians would pay.
He also stated that the move was a policy imposed on the Nigerian government by the International Monetary Funds and the World Bank.
Speaking on the Channels TV show on Monday night, Falana said, “The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu has failed to address the question of the illegality of the tariffs.
“Section 116 of the Electricity Act 2023 provides that before an increase can be approved and announced, there has to be a public hearing conducted based on the request of the DISCOS to have an increase in the electricity tariffs. That was not done.
“Secondly, neither the minister nor the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission has explained why the impunity that characterized the increase can be allowed.”
Falana also expressed worry over what he described as impunity on the part of the federal government and electricity regulatory commission.
Falana alleged that the Nigerian government is heeding an instruction given to her by the Bretton Wood institutions.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria accused Western countries led by the United States of America of double standards.
According to him, they subsidize agriculture, energy, and fuel and offer grants and loans to indigent students while they advise the Nigerian government against doing the same for its citizens.
Following the outrage that greeted the announcement of the tariff increase, Adelabu explained that the action would not affect everyone using electricity as only Band A customers who get about 20 hours of electricity are affected by the hike.
Falana, however, insisted that neither the minister nor the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, had justified the tariff increase.
The senior lawyer said that Nigerian law gives no room for discrimination against customers by grading them in different bands.
He insisted that the government cannot ask Nigerians to pay differently for the same product even when what has been consistently served to them is darkness.