Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to fulfil its promise of providing Nigerians with steady electricity supply.

Atiku said the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council was attempting to divert attention from the administration’s unfulfilled electricity pledge by highlighting legislation, committees, bonds and power projects.

He stated this on Sunday through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, in a response to comments by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, on the government’s electricity sector reforms.

Atiku said Nigerians continued to grapple with unreliable electricity, forcing households and businesses to spend scarce resources on alternative sources of power while still paying electricity bills.

“APC should spare Nigerians spectacle of celebrating paperwork while homes and businesses remain in darkness. After three and a half years, families still struggle to keep their homes lit. Traders and small business owners spend scarce resources on alternative power, yet struggle to keep their businesses alive. Nigerians are billed for electricity they cannot rely on. President Tinubu promised steady power and an end to estimated billing. That promise has not been kept,” he said.

The former vice-president also faulted the existing electricity band system, arguing that consumers across the different categories continued to experience power failures despite paying varying tariffs.

“Across Nigeria, consumers are placed in Bands A, B, C, D and E and charged different rates. In many areas, Band A customers pay about N209.50 per unit before VAT. Rates for other bands vary by state and electricity provider. Yet across every band, same hardship endures: power fails, but bill arrives,” he said.

He argued that households should not have to choose between paying electricity bills and meeting their basic needs, while businesses should not be charged more for electricity they do not receive.

On the planned removal of electricity subsidies from 2027, Atiku demanded clarification from the Federal Government on the implications for consumers, despite assurances that there would be no immediate increase in electricity tariffs.

“Nigerians are entitled to clear answer: what will happen to their bills when subsidy ends?” he asked.

Atiku said he would work with state governments and regulators, within the provisions of the law, to replace the existing band system with what he described as a fair, transparent and affordable electricity pricing framework that would hold distribution companies accountable for the power supplied.

He also recalled Tinubu’s campaign promise during the 2022 presidential election, when the President reportedly pledged to provide constant electricity within four years.

“When President Tinubu campaigned in 2022, he made unmistakable commitment. He said: ‘If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for second term, don’t vote for me.’ Nigerians have lived through those four years. They do not need his campaign council to interpret his words for them. They need him to answer for them,” he said.

The ADC chieftain further questioned the administration’s investment in new electricity generation infrastructure, alleging that it had failed to build a new generation facility to increase the country’s power capacity despite introducing a multitrillion-naira bond programme to settle outstanding debts owed to generation companies.

“Paying old debts is not same as building new power infrastructure. Bonds cannot be presented as substitute for power in people’s homes,” he added.

Atiku also expressed concerns over the application of Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity and a provision in the Nigeria Tax Act for a five per cent surcharge on certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel.

He noted that although the government had said the surcharge had not been activated and would require a ministerial order, Nigerians deserved clarity on the possibility of additional energy-related charges.

“Dele Alake’s statement cannot light a home. Signing a law is not electricity. Raising a bond is not electricity. Approving a project is not power delivered. Nigerians cannot cook, study, work or sustain a business on announcements,” Atiku said.

He maintained that Nigerians expected reliable and affordable electricity, urging the Tinubu administration to account for its campaign promises and the performance of the power sector. (Sunday Tribune)