Ilori Warns: Stop Arbitrary Tariff Increases Until Band A Gets Promised 20 Hours
Nigeria’s long-running electricity crisis once again took center stage this weekend as consumer advocate Adeola Samuel Ilori delivered a pointed message that resonated with frustrated households and businesses nationwide: electricity consumers are not opposed to realistic tariff increases, but they reject arbitrary hikes that ignore service quality and regulatory obligations.
Speaking in an interview aired by ARISE News, Ilori, National Coordinator of the All Electricity Consumer Protection Forum, highlighted a glaring contradiction at the heart of the Service-Based Tariff system.
Band A customers, who pay the highest rates because they are supposed to receive a minimum of 20 hours of electricity daily, often get far less — in some cases as little as six hours.
“NERC’s regulations clearly state that if customers do not receive the required hours of supply, they should be downgraded and compensated. Yet, no community has been compensated,” Ilori said. His comments cut to the core of public anger: higher bills without corresponding improvement in supply.
The remarks come amid heightened sensitivity around electricity pricing. Just days earlier, Power Minister Joseph Tegbe announced that the Federal Government plans to gradually phase out electricity subsidies starting in 2027 to address mounting sector debts.
At the same time, the government and presidential advisers moved quickly to reassure Nigerians that no immediate tariff increases are planned across any service band.
The focus, they insisted, remains on better metering, improved supply, and grid stability.
Yet trust remains fragile. Many consumers recall previous sharp upward reviews for Band A customers and frequent complaints that Distribution Companies (DisCos) fail to meet their service commitments.
Ilori has also accused DisCos of failing to invest properly, noting that communities often have to fund transformers and infrastructure themselves — sometimes being asked to pay millions of naira even after already contributing.
The Band system, introduced to link tariffs more closely to the quality of supply, was meant to create fairness and incentivize better performance.
In practice, critics argue it has deepened inequality. Those classified as Band A pay premium rates for a service that frequently falls short, while lower bands struggle with even more limited hours.
Enforcement of compensation and automatic reclassification when supply drops appears weak or non-existent in many areas.
For ordinary Nigerians already grappling with the cost of living, unreliable power remains one of the most painful daily realities.
Small businesses close early or run expensive generators. Households endure darkness and damaged appliances. The cumulative economic and social cost is enormous.
Ilori’s message is pragmatic rather than absolute opposition. Consumers understand that a financially healthy power sector is necessary for long-term improvement.
What they reject is the pattern of announcing higher tariffs while service delivery stagnates and regulatory safeguards—such as compensation for under-supply—go unenforced.
As Nigeria edges toward a post-subsidy era from 2027, the credibility of the entire reform agenda will depend on whether regulators and operators finally match higher prices with measurable, consistent supply.
Until Band A customers actually receive the hours they pay for, and until communities are compensated when they do not, public resistance to further tariff adjustments is likely to remain strong.
The power sector’s challenges are complex, involving generation shortfalls, transmission constraints, gas supply issues, and distribution inefficiencies.
But for consumers on the receiving end of the bills, the equation is simple: pay for what you get, and deliver what is promised.
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