Arewa Assembly cries out over plots to cancel eligible customer scheme from electricity market

Coalitions of Arewa Assembly have decried the recent move to stop the provision of Eligible Customer, EC scheme in the Nigerian Electricity market.

The Coalitions of Arewa Assembly in a statement issued at the weekend by its National Coordinator, Mallam Attahiru Usman, disclosed that the move by some Discos cartels is a deliberate attempt to collapse the economy stressing that more industries may soon go out of business operations.

He explained that the plot by the cartel if not quickly arrested will not only cause injuries on manufacturing industries but it will also lead to the total collapse of the economy, thereby causing unemployment because more industries will soon wind-down operations.

The group however appealed President Muhammadu Buhari and his economic team to urgently wade-into the matter even as it called on the leadership of the national assembly led by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan to adopt legislative processes to unravel the plot.

The group also urged the 36 state governors under the auspices of the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum to rally round its members in a bid to arrest jobs carnage and Internally Generated Revenue, IGR deficit stressing that many industries have collapsed in Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Lagos, Ogun and other states of the federation while many others are operating below capacities.

According to the statement, “As part of efforts towards actualizing their aims of increasing Electricity Tariffs, the said cartel plotted coup d’état which ensured that Mr. Raji Fashola was not returned as Minister for Power for a second term tenure while the former Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN was also relieved of his appointment.

“Unfortunately, it is crystal clear at this point to note that the purpose of privatization has not been achieved.
He also alleged that some Discos have found their ways to cause policy summersault by mis-regulating the system, increasing electricity tariff as well as planned to cancel Eligible Customers which is the only avenue for the Electricity Generation Companies to sell close to 3000 stranded powers that Discos was not able to evacuate.

“Cancellation of Eligible Customers which has been a huge relief to Genco and TCN as well as manufacturers that are buying bulk powers will wreck serious havoc on business activities nationwide with negative ‘bush fire’ effects on all facets of the nation’s economy.”

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