Four former coordinators in the dissolved Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council have slammed the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, over what they termed random discrimination in the power sector, one year after the current administration was inaugurated.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja and jointly signed by the quartet of Abubakar Mohammed, Bridget Eyimo, Bukie Okangbe and Sultan Abdulazeez.
The concerns raised by the APC chieftains come one month after a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, passed a vote of no confidence in the Federal Government, saying that Adelabu had failed Nigerians.
Falana was reacting to Adelabu’s appearance before the Senate to defend the increase in the electricity tariff.
The APC chieftains, in the statement, insisted there was no basis to balkanise electricity consumption into categories of bands, which they claimed was impacting negatively on small businesses and bringing discomfort to several homes.
“Let us use this opportunity to appeal to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to stop the discrimination in the power sector. This is a sector that is central and sensitive to the economic fortune of many Nigerians, especially the informal sector.
“We condemned outright the sharing of electricity into bands, which is having a serious negative impact on the lives of many families. Consumers, especially those under the so-called ‘Band A’, are having it so hard that many find it difficult to use power for their small and medium-scale businesses.
“With the increased electricity tariff, some in Band A have over 70 per cent of their production cost go into payment of electricity bill, in which the result is what we are witnessing in terms of increment in prices of goods in the market.
“We are calling on the minister to stop this discrimination in the power sector to reduce the burden on Nigerians. The resultant effect of this anti-people policy is that it will end up giving this administration a bad and negative image,” the statement read.
The former campaign directors, however, applauded President Bola Tinubu for painstakingly putting in place some reforms they believed would impact positively on the nation’s economy in the long run.
They also charged some non-performing ministers and members of his cabinet to buckle up or risk being kicked out of office.
“As the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu clocks a year in office, we the heads of APC support groups and campaign coordinators salute his courage and determination to create a new path of prosperity for our dear nation.
“We are glad that the election victory of Mr President brought about by campaigns, awareness, enlightenment and mobilisation during the electioneering process was not in vain.
“It is worthy of note that his one year in office has laid a solid foundation for a better and greater Nigeria, even though it has come with sacrifices from Nigerians.
“We believe that in the end, Nigerians will appreciate the president more for his boldness in confronting our challenges head-on, especially with the removal of the monster called fuel subsidy, which has been a drainpipe in our economy, benefiting only a few rich and connected individuals in our society,” the statement added.
