NLC faults Adelabu’s power bands, migration plans as design to fleece consumers
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu’s categorisation of consumers into bands and plans to migrate more of them to Band A is the “highest level of 419”, meaning fraud, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero has asserted.
Ajaero questioned why some people should be in Band A and others in lower bands, saying the practice is discriminatory and designed to fleece users.
He slammed the service-based tariff which put electricity users in different bands, according to service delivered by distribution companies (DisCos), describing it as a massive fraud.
Adelabu at a budget defence session at the National Assembly (NASS) earlier this week claimed that 90 per cent of power consumers in Band A have confirmed that they are getting the benefit of being in that category.
He said more customers would be migrated to Band A to enjoy electricity for longer hours.
But Ajaero countered on Channels Television, questioning the rationale for migrating customers from one band to another.
“Now the ministry is talking about migrating from Band B to Band A, that is the highest level of 419 one can think of,” he argued.
“Who is in Band A and who is in Band B? Is it based on the geographical area that you have Band A or Band B or is it based on the dictates of the provider?
“In countries of the world that are targeting 24-hour power supply, why would somebody be talking about Band A or Band B? How would it happen? So, that idea is concocted to make money unnecessarily and say people are migrated.
“What are the conditions to be on Band A? What are the conditions to be on Band Be? Why would you discriminate? Why would you give me Band B and give somebody Band A? So, these are the issues.”
According to Adelabu, Band A consumers enjoy electricity supply for 20 hours per day, Band B (minimum 16 hours), Band C (minimum 12 hours), Band D (minimum 8 hours), and Band E (minimum four hours).
Ajaero also faulted the government for making provision in the 2025 budget for DisCos that are supposed to be private entities.
In his view, the funds the government wants to spend to improve the power sector should be used for something else, and private-owned power companies should use the money they generate to run their companies.
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