News
FG Sets For Fresh Hike In Electricity Tariff
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has stated that the federal government is working on transitioning to a cost reflective tariff to stop an increase in the N4trn debt it owes the sector.
The minister who spoke during the Mission 300 Stakeholders’ Engagement meeting in Abuja, said this is part of reforms to set the power sector on the path of sustainability and bankability.
It would be recalled that despite the increase of electricity tariff for Band A customers, electricity consumers have complained of low electricity supply and continuous payment of faulty electricity installation.
But Adelabu said the decision is critical to the economic growth and development of Nigeria.
“Currently, there’s a huge outstanding debt to the power generation companies in the form of unpaid government subsidies which stands at about N4trn as of December 2024.
“The Federal Government is already working out modalities to defray this obligation and to ensure that further obligations are not accrued going forward, the government is working on a plan to transition the sector to a fully cost-reflective regime while implementing targeted subsidies for the economically vulnerable citizens in the country.”
The implication of this is that the government would end the subsidy regime in the electricity sector which would trigger an increase in tariff across board.
Report says government had accrued N1.1tr as subsidy payment in the first six months of 2025 making its debt climbing to N5tr.
The minister in a statement by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, said improving power generation through recovery of idle capacities and expanding energy mix to ensure energy security and to dilute the power pool with cheaper and cleaner energy sources would be a priority.
He announced the priorities of the government in power sector reforms to include “addressing the market liquidity issues and initiating required sector reforms”.
“Other areas included expanding transmission infrastructure to deliver more power, ensuring stability of the national grid to put an end to several grid disturbances and collapses previously observed on the grid, and to further strengthen the coordination and management of the national grid.
The Minister also said that the ministry is pursuing increased renewable energy through its rural electrification and energy transition drive, to provide a reliable power supply to unserved and underserved communities.
He said the stakeholders meeting would provide an opportunity for them to align, strategize, and to build the partnerships needed to move from Nigeria Energy Compact, to concrete results, as he called on development partners, the private sector, philanthropic actors, the public sector, and the civil society organizations to rally around this mission.
The Minister of Finance, Chief Wale Edun, who spoke through zoom from Brazil also said that the reforms the government was undertaking in the power sector were critical towards unlocking the full potentials of the economy as it would lead to job creation. He said the reforms have led to over 40 percent increase in power distribution in the first quarter of 2025.
Cost reflective tariff versus allowed tariff
The cost reflective tariff for Band A – Non-MD customers is N231.79 while the allowed tariff is N209.50, Band A – MD1, cost reflective tariff is N225.90 while allowed tariff is N209.50 similarly, cost reflective tariff for Band A – MD2 is N220.01 while allowed tariff is N209.50.
For Band B – Non-MD, cost reflective tariff is N223.94 while allowed tariff is N68.96; Band B – MD1 cost reflective tariff is N220.01 while allowed tariff is N67.18, Band B – MD2, cost reflective tariff tariff is N216.08 while allowed tariff is N67.12.
For Band C- Non-MD, cost reflective tariff is N209.32 while allowed tariff is N56.38; Band C-MD1 cost reflective tariff is N200.37 while allowed tariff is N54.64 and Band C – MD2 cost reflective tariff is N200.37 while allowed tariff is N54.64.
Band D – Non-MD cost reflective tariff is N164.34 while allowed tariff is N39.67; Band D – MD1 cost reflective tariff is N207.67 while allowed tariff is N55.4; Band D – MD2 cost effective tariff is N207.56 while allowed tariff is N55.43.
Lastly, Band E – Non-MD cost reflective tariff is N145.07 while allowed tariff is N39.44, Band E – MD1 cost reflective tariff is N207.35 while allowed tariff is N55.43 and Band E – MD2 cost reflective tariff is N207.35 while allowed tariff is N55.43.
Consumers kick
According to a Daily Trust report, the President of Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, Kunle Olubiyo, said any increment with the current service delivery means electricity consumers will be fleeced by utility companies.
He said there has not been an increase in power generation, transmission infrastructure or upscale of distribution networks despite band segmentation helping to triple the inflow of revenue in the last one year.
“If you increase across boards, what assurance will there be of cost-reflective service? The Performance Improvement Plan, and investment in infrastructure, in the last 10 years, have not brought about any increase in generation, transmission evacuation, and distribution.
“You can imagine that between 2015 to date, we’ve only added 400 megawatts, because as of the time of Jonathan’s administration, we celebrated equilibrium of generation, transmission, and distribution at 5,600 megawatts. And now, since 2015, when Jonathan was leaving, to date we’ve not been able to hit 600 megawatts.”
He added that the government needs to make decisions to reflect political economy and political sensitivity, adding they should put people at the heart of its policies.
“The bullets should not be fired simultaneously such that it may have unintended consequences politically for the present administration. So, tariffs should not be at the expense of enforcement or implementation of the commitment to service level agreement.”
On his part, the CEO at Sage Consulting & Communications, Bode Fadipe, said the issue of liquidity has been a major challenge in the sector which has affected investment.
He said as long as there is no right investment in the sector, the sector will not progress.
But there is also the second argument that at what point can you say that you have achieved cost reflectivity, given the number of adjustments that you have seen in the sector, vis-a-vis the performance of the sector itself? What has been the consequence?”
He added that Band A customers that have increased the revenue in the sector are still not enjoying the amount that they pay for 20 hours and above.
“When you come from that perspective, you then begin to wonder whether another adjustment, or what has been described as cost reflectivity, will solve the problem.”
He stated that this means cost reflectivity is not the only problem that is plaguing the sector.
‘We must stop concentrating on costs’
“Why are we not addressing the other issues, policy issues, for instance, that are plaguing the sector? Why is it that it is only costs that we are concentrating on, and we are not looking at other issues that are associated with the sector? These are fundamental things. I do concede that the liquidity issue has been a historical factor, but is it the only problem that requires the kind of attention that liquidity is receiving?”
“I know that Generation is being owed about N4tr and the government is wondering where will they get the money from as the market is under that burden, but is it cost reflectivity alone that will bring about a translation into the power sector that we all desire? So for me, I think we really need to sit down and do a critical examination of the sector, and not that we’ll just be adjusting price alone.”
An electricity consumer on Band C, Abubakar Aliyu, said he gets less than 6 hours of electricity daily and on some days his community in Gwagwalada would be in total darkness.
He said any increase in electricity tariff will have to come with increased service, adding that he doubts if the DisCos have the capacity to do it.
“It is just like the electricity is being rationed as the electricity fluctuates daily. This move will be very bad as we all know how poor the DisCos are in terms of service delivery and repairs of faults. Even if the government wants to increase the tariff, they should ensure everything is in order first.”
A Soldier, Private Utim Terwase, has bagged a monetary reward of N500, 000 for turning down a bribe of the same amount, from a suspected kidnapper,
The reward is in recognition of his honesty and commitment to duty.
The soldier, who reportedly rejected the money offered in exchange for the suspect’s release, has been rewarded with N500,000 by the Commander of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), Maj. Gen. Maxwell Dangana.
Terwase was said to have apprehended the suspect following an attempted escape. When the suspect allegedly offered him N500,000 to secure his freedom, the soldier turned down the offer and handed him over to the appropriate authorities.
Impressed by his conduct, Dangana approved a cash reward equivalent to the amount he had refused to collect, describing his action as an example of the integrity, discipline and professionalism expected of military personnel.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued at the weekend by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, 3 Division, Nigerian Army, Rukuba Barracks, Jos, Capt. Chinonso Polycarp Oteh.
Presenting the reward through the Commander of Sector 6, OPEP, Col. Philimon Malgwi, Dangana said Terwase’s decision to resist the temptation of personal gain reflected the highest standards of military professionalism, loyalty and commitment to duty.
He said the soldier had demonstrated that his responsibility to the nation and the values of the military were more important than personal financial benefits.
According to him, the commendation is intended to encourage other personnel to uphold similar standards of honesty, accountability and selfless service.
Oteh said the reward also sent a strong message that integrity and professionalism remained values worthy of recognition, particularly at a time when corruption continued to undermine public trust.
He described Terwase’s action as proof that integrity was a personal choice, even when faced with temptation.
“A soldier who refused N500,000 in dirty money has earned N500,000 in honour. Indeed, integrity pays,” he said.
A Kano State High Court on Friday sentenced Umar Auwalu and Yakubu Dayyabu, to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a housewife, Fatima Abubakar, 35, and her six children at Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters, Kano.
The court also sentenced the two convicts to life imprisonment with hard labour each for conspiracy and armed robbery.
The third defendant, Isyaku Yakubu, 21, of Sabon Gida Sharada Quarters, was, however, discharged and acquitted for lack of credible evidence linking him to the murder.
Justice Nasiru Saminu found the two person guilty of the two count charges filed against them, insisting the prosecution proved charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Saminu described the killing of the housewife and her six children as a horrific crime that challenged the conscience of the society.
He said the victims were entitled to the protection of their home but were attacked by people who ought to have protected them, particularly as the first defendant, Auwalu, was a nephew of the deceased.
Justice Saminu lamented that seven lives, which could have grown into responsible members of society, had been permanently lost.
“How I wish there is a punishment heavier than this. My emphasis is not to administer vengeance but justice,” the judge said.
On the third defendant, Justice Saminu held that although there were telephone conversations between him and the first and second defendants, the prosecution failed to establish the contents of the conversations or demonstrate that they amounted to conspiracy.
The judge further noted that evidence before the court showed that Isyaku was attending a Qur’anic graduation ceremony at the time of the incident.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel and Attorney-General of Kano State, Abdulkarim Kabiru-Maude, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on January 17, 2026, at about 11:30 a.m. at Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters, Kano.
He said the defendants allegedly conspired, armed themselves with sticks, iron rod and a sharp cutlass before trespassing into the residence of Fatima. According to him, they robbed the deceased of two mobile phones, an Infinix and an Itel, as well as N200,000 in cash.
The Attorney-General told the court that the defendants attacked Fatima with sticks and iron rod, hitting her on the neck before striking her head with a sewing machine, which resulted in her death.
He further alleged that the defendants attacked her six children, identified as Maimuna, 17; Aisha, 16; Bashir, 13; Abubakar, 10; Faruk, seven; and Abdulsalam Haruna, a toddler, with sticks, knives and cutlasses, inflicting injuries on their faces, bodies and heads.
The prosecution said Faruk and Abdulsalam were subsequently thrown into a well within the premises after the attack.
During the trial, Auwalu pleaded guilty to the charges but denied throwing the children into the well, while Dayyabu and Isyaku pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution presented eight witnesses and tendered 30 exhibits, including medical reports from Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, confessional statements, a bloodstained broken iron rod, a stool, bloodstained trousers, N200,000 cash, two mobile phones and a flash drive containing audio-visual recordings.
The prosecution maintained that the offences contravened Sections 97, 221 and 298(c) of the Penal Code.
President Bola Tinubu says all funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be channelled into the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The president spoke on Friday at the launch of Arise Palm Resort in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.
Tinubu said the decision was informed by the need to ease the burden of tuition fees on parents and ensure equal access to education for all Nigerians.
“I feel your pain and share in the difficulty, and that’s why I decided to take away the responsibility of tuition fees from parents and equal opportunities for everyone who wants to read, taking education as the greatest weapon against poverty,” he said.
“And creating opportunities for those who are still coming behind. From today on, as we are fighting corruption, any money recovered by EFCC will be dumped into that education programme. It will be. No one can reverse it.”
On August 19, the president directed the EFCC to channel all recovered funds into NELFUND.
Tunji Alausa, minister of education, announced the development while answering questions from State House correspondents shortly after the weekly federal executive council (FEC) meeting that day.
He said the FEC also approved the allocation of all unclaimed dividends in the Capital Market Trust Fund and funds in the Dormant Account Trust Fund to the student loan scheme to expand its reach and improve its efficiency.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on August 31 to highlight the commission’s achievements under his leadership, Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman, said the federal government had allocated N100 billion from funds recovered by the anti-graft agency to the student loan scheme since 2024.
He noted that when “recovered criminal value” helps finance education and household credit, enforcement moves beyond punishment to restoration and productive national use.
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