Tariff hike: Fear of estimated billings haunt businesses
As 20% of Band A customers still without prepaid meters •Prepaid meters not readily available — operators •Minimum wage amount we proposed no longer realistic – Labour •To adjust demand by 300% THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has indicated that over 20 per cent of consumers categorized as Band A do not have prepaid meters, a major factor in determining actual usage for the purpose of bill settlement. Consequently, the consumers would be made to pay on estimated billing, a practice largely discredited by both the consumers and the NERC as subject to manipulation and shortchanging of the consumers. This is even as indications emerged that organised labour is planning to present a new minimum wage demand, following the recent hike in electricity tariff by the federal government, claiming that the 300 per cent jerk up in electricity tariff has made nonsense of its earlier benchmark wage demand. Band A customers are those who enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of electri...