Renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana has issued a stern warning to the Nigerian government, threatening legal action in response to the recent significant increase in electricity tariffs, which has left consumers grappling with exorbitant bills.
In an interview on Channels Television, Falana vehemently criticized the federal government’s plan, facilitated through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), to extend the electricity tariff hike to consumers beyond ‘Band A’.
He contended that such a hike cannot be justified under the Electricity Act of 2023 and pledged to pursue justice for affected Nigerians through legal means.
Falana emphasized the absence of electricity subsidy and accused the government of attempting to generate funds for financially struggling Distribution Companies (Discos).
He stated: “Under that law, there are certain steps to take, and we are going to embark on those steps tomorrow (today), which is to raise serious objections with respect to the impunity that has characterised the recent increase.
“At the appropriate time, if there is no response, we will have to go to court because the government had warned, the minister had warned that the increase this time around will only fetch the government or the discos N1.6 trillion, whereas the destination is N3 trillion.
“So, the poor people that the minister is talking about, the other bands, very soon, the government is going to extend the increases to them so that the N1.4 trillion the minister is talking about will be recovered.
