The Federal Government announced plans to compensate Band A electricity users who experienced extended blackouts across northern Nigeria. Discussions are ongoing between the government, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and distribution companies to ensure affected customers aren’t billed for days without power, as confirmed by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, after briefing President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Adelabu emphasized that all categories of Band A users—residential, commercial, and industrial—will be exempt from charges during the blackout period, providing relief to consumers affected by the power disruption.
The blackout, affecting 17 northern states, was attributed to vandalism of the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, a critical channel for electricity in the region. Security concerns have also delayed repairs, prolonging the outage.
When asked about compensating affected users, especially those in Band A who pay the highest rates, Adelabu stated, “Yes, we are working on a solution.” He added that a meeting with NERC and distribution companies is in the works to finalize these measures. “Customers will not be billed for those days,” he confirmed.
NERC categorizes electricity consumers into five bands—A through E—based on power reliability, which determines their billing rates. Band A users, who typically receive at least 20 hours of electricity daily, pay the highest rates between N55 and N60 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Lower bands, such as B, C, D, and E, receive fewer hours of power, with corresponding reductions in rates.
This banded tariff system seeks to balance service reliability with charges, incentivizing distribution companies to improve electricity supply to consumers. However, inconsistencies between actual supply and billing continue to challenge the system, leaving many consumers dissatisfied with the reliability of their power supply.
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