Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice-President voiced his opposition towards the recent increase in electricity tariffs, saying that it will add to the sufferings of the people.
Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate during the February 25, 2023, presidential election has taken it to twitter to criticize the government on implementation of policies without enough notice or comprehensive plan that can reduce discomfort.
Atiku pointed out that such a move is ill-advised in view of issues like fuel subsidy removal and volatility in the national currency when he spoke about economy. According to him, these economic measures have not been dealt with adequately by this government and increased costs of energy will only escalate inflationary pressures.
He further commented on how this would affect manufacturing which already grapples with increased interest rates for loans, high diesel prices as well as rising labor costs due to minimum wages. He accused advisers within government who are driving an increasingly deeper crisis blaming their reformist approach for lacking compassio
The opposition leader stressed that it was crucial to understand the main problems hindering the power sector before embarking on further reforms. He called for a reconsideration of the privatization process which created DISCOs.
Atiku also gave Tinubu a three-point action plan and demanded he implemented them in phases; that he soften the blow with certain strategies and that NERC should be accountable enough to ensure improved service delivery.
In his words, “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.”
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