Aba Power, electricity distribution company (DisCo) based in Aba, Abia State, has refuted media reports claiming that an Abia State High Court has nullified the new electricity tariff approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for its customers or any of the other 11 DisCos in the country.
NERC had ordered a new tariff for Aba Power to take effect on January 1, 2025, in a directive issued on December 30-nine months after approving a similar tariff adjustment for other DisCos.
Dismissing the reports as false, Aba Power’s Communication and Brand Manager, Edise Ekong, stated, “It is untrue and completely misleading for the online media to claim that Mr. Justice Enyinnaya Ikpeazu of the Isiala Ngwa High Court in Abia State has directed Aba Power to revert to the old tariff.”
Ekong explained that the case was filed by a group calling itself the Aba Electricity Consumers Forum, which opposed the new NERC order. However, the court ruled that the group was unregistered and, therefore, lacked legal standing.
“Rather than informing the public of the court’s decision, the group resorted to propaganda to mislead electricity consumers into believing that they are not required to pay the new tariff,” Ekong stated. He further noted that the court directed the group’s promoters, led by one Ike Opigwe, to appear as individual electricity consumers instead.
Urging customers in the Aba Ring-fenced Area-which covers nine of Abia State’s 17 local government areas-to continue paying the new tariff, Ekong emphasized that Aba Power had implemented the adjustment almost a year after other parts of the country had done so.
“This is the right thing to do because the Federal Government has already announced that there will be a significant increase in tariffs anytime from now, possibly this month,” he said.
Ekong also pointed out that the Federal Government’s plan to raise tariffs is aimed at reducing its subsidy burden on electricity generation and distribution companies, which has exceeded six trillion naira since their privatization in 2013.
Highlighting Aba Power’s distinct position in the sector, Ekong noted that it is the only DisCo that has not benefitted from government subsidies. He added that Geometric Power, which operates the company’s generation arm, has similarly received no financial support.
“We are delighted that we are widely considered a role model in the electricity business in Nigeria,” Ekong concluded.
