Presidency: No Plan to Increase Electricity Tariffs for Any Class of Customers

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The presidency yesterday clarified that the federal government has no plans to increase electricity tariffs for any category of grid-connected customers, describing reports suggesting otherwise as a misrepresentation. In a statement issued in Abuja, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Power Infrastructure in the Office of the Vice President, Sadiq Wanka, said there was no planned tariff increase across any service band, stressing that the government remained committed to protecting vulnerable households through continued tariff support. The clarification, the statement said, followed comments made by the presidential aide during a presentation at the Asharami Square 3.0 event held in Lagos on July 22, where he spoke on investment opportunities in Nigeria’s power sector. A statement he personally signed said that Wanka also spoke on the impact of the federal government’s reform programme on attracting private sector investment across the electricity value chain. According to the statement, Wanka, in the course of his presentation, reaffirmed the tariff policy direction contained in the National Integrated Electricity Policy (NIEP), which was finalised in December 2024 and approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in May 2025. It explained that the policy envisages a gradual transition to cost-reflective tariffs, a framework already implemented for Band A electricity consumers. However, the statement stressed that the presidential aide made it clear there were no plans to remove subsidies for consumers in other service bands, noting that the government was instead exploring more efficient ways of delivering support to electricity consumers. “To this end, the Special Adviser highlighted the Power Consumer Assistance Fund (PCAF), enabled by the Electricity Act 2023, as a mechanism for delivering targeted subsidies directly to vulnerable consumers through consumer electricity accounts or other identity linked means, improving transparency and strengthening investor confidence,” the statement said. The presidency added that the administration of President Tinubu recognised the critical role of the media in communicating government policies, noting that it supported initiatives such as Asharami Square, which seeks to deepen journalists’ understanding of complex policy issues. It urged journalists and media organisations to continue providing accurate and contextual reporting on government reforms, particularly in the power sector. “There is no planned tariff hike for any grid consumer across any service band. The government remains committed to protecting vulnerable households through continued tariff support,” the statement added.