Kwara hoteliers protest hike in electricity tariff by IBEDC

Association of Hotel Owners in Kwara, on Tuesday in Ilorin, staged a protest over what they called outrageous electricity tariff hike by Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

Supreme News reports that the protesting hoteliers carried placards, with inscriptions like “Capital No to electricity tariff by IBEDC”, “Prevent job losses”, and “Reduce the tariff”, among others.

President of the association, Alhaji Dauda Akande, said that IBEDC, in its recent upward review of its tariff, ‘outrageously and insensitively’ increased the electricity tariff of its Band A customers.

Akande said that the tariff for band A customers, under which many of his members fall, was increased from N74 to N225 per unit.

“The company later effected a marginal downward review to N205 per unit.

“This afterthought marginal reduction is grossly inadequate and many of our businesses cannot survive the tariff hike under the prevailing economic situation of the country,” he said.

Akande noted that if IBEDC failed to effect a substantial downward review of the tariffs, many businesses would collapse and there would be job losses across the country.

According to him, this will compound the economic challenges currently being faced by the country.

“We implore Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission to intervene without further delay to save our businesses and jobs,” he said.

In his response, the Head of Forum, NERC, Ilorin, said that the commission was aware of the grievances of the hoteliers.

He stated that the forum would forward their protest letter to NERC headquarters in Abuja.