The Federal Government has said it has no plan to increase electricity tariffs, dismissing reports of an impending hike circulating on social media.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe gave the assurance Thursday in Ibadan, Oyo State, during the flag-off of a 17.7-megawatt hybrid solar mini-grid project designed to provide electricity to communities across five local government areas.
“I want to say this clearly and without ambiguity: there is no plan to increase electricity tariffs,” Tegbe said.
“What we are planning is a power sector that works round the clock,” he added.
The minister said the government was focused on improving electricity supply through three major energy corridors: Lagos-Ogun, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano and Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt.
He said the government also planned to strengthen the national grid across the eastern, western and central parts of the country to support its goal of providing electricity around the clock.
The solar project, which includes a 17.74-megawatt-hour battery storage system, will serve communities in Akinyele, Ido, Ibadan North, Egbeda and Lagelu local government areas.
Managing Director of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Deolu Ijose said the project would provide electricity to 22,597 customers across five communities.
The communities are Bola, Jiboye, Molade-Adelubi, Ogo-Oluwa and Sooko-Elega.
According to the government, the project is expected to improve electricity access for homes and businesses, reduce dependence on petrol and diesel generators, and support investment and job creation.
The announcement follows an earlier assurance by Tegbe in September that the government had no immediate plan to raise tariffs.
At the time, he said the government was working to address financial and infrastructure problems in the power sector, including an estimated 3.3 trillion naira in outstanding debts.
The government says its priority is to improve electricity supply rather than increase tariffs.
Comments
Add a comment