A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Joe Agi, has taken legal action against the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Abuja Electricity Distribution (AEDC) for allegedly raising his electricity tariff by 230 per cent.

The case is currently being heard by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Agi is seeking the protection of his fundamental rights.

In his application, the senior lawyer asks the court to declare that the new tariffs and the hours of supply violate the Electricity Act of 2023 and Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution.

The applications list NERC, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and AEDC as the first to fourth respondents, respectively.

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In the attached affidavit submitted with the lawsuit, the attorney stated that he purchased 682kwh of utility from the AEDC on both March 23 and April 3, for a total of N50,000.

Furthermore, Agi declared that on April 6, he made another N50,000 utility purchase, but this time the value of the purchase was reduced to 206.7kwh.

He expressed his concern regarding this unexpected change but later discovered that the NERC and AEDC had implemented a system known as “bands” in the country. Under this system, NERC issued the April 2024 Supplementary Order to the Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024.

“That from the tariffs shared, the 1st and 4th respondents (NERC and AEDC) increased my tariffs by 230%, whereas others had theirs increased by 236%,177% and some others 0% in Nigeria.

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“The tariffs are discriminatory and the hours of supply are discriminatory between consumers and consumer categories and should be cancelled,” the SAN prayed the court.

Agi criticized the statement made by NERC’s chairman, Musiliu Oseni, on April 1st, where he stated that “only 15% of the electricity consumers in the country who consume 40% of the nation’s electricity are the ones affected.”

In Agi’s view, this directive creates a distinction between the 15% and the remaining 85% of consumers in Nigeria, which he considers discriminatory.

He argued that the use of US Dollars to determine tariffs in Nigeria is unnecessary and goes against public policy.

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Consequently, the applicant requested “a declaration that the NERC Supplementary Order to the MYTO 2024 is discriminatory, unconstitutional, and a clear violation of the applicant’s right to freedom from discrimination as guaranteed under Section 116 (2) (e) of the Electricity Act, 2023, and Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended).”

He also stated that it violates the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1LEN 2004.

Agi also requested the court to declare that the use of the United States of American dollar exchange rate to determine the cost of tariffs in Nigeria is illegal, unconstitutional, and against public policy. Additionally, he sought an order to invalidate the NERC Supplementary Order to the MYTO 2024, as it is discriminatory and a clear violation of his right to freedom from discrimination as protected by the law.

However, no hearing date has been scheduled for this matter.

Recall that on April 3, NERC increased the electricity tariff for customers in the Band A category, who receive 20 hours of power supply daily, from N66/kWh to N225/kWh.

Panic gripped residents of Ita-Oshin area of Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, when a gas tanker explosion left a trail of devastation, claiming four lives and about six vehicles were burnt.

It gathered that the explosion, occurred following an accident involving the gas tanker, when it was trying to manoeuvre along the road railings.

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It was further gathered that emergency response teams, including personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Fire Service swiftly mobilized to the scene to evacuate the remains of the victims and contain the inferno.

Among the vehicles consumed by the inferno were taxis, a private car, and a truck, with the impact extending to nearby shops and houses.

While security and safety officials present at the scene are yet to provide a comprehensive statement regarding the incident, eyewitnesses, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said some casualties had already been rushed to the hospital by the response teams.

Benin Traditional Council, BTC, has suspended six palace functionaries for allegedly presenting themselves as the palace’s emissaries before the Ooni of Ife in a function.

A statement signed by Chief Sam Igbe, Iyase of Benin kingdom, on behalf of BTC, and made available to newsmen in Benin City on Saturday listed the suspended palace functionaries as
Johnbull Igbinosun, Iduhonre (Ihogbe), S.E. Aigbiremwen, Efesieoghoba (Ogbelaka),

The statement also listed Ogbeide Osagie and Osamudiame Edo among the suspended functionaries.

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He said they were suspended for allegedly engaging themselves in a “sacrilegious show of shame and falsehood against the Benin Custom.”

“These individuals not only declared themselves subjects of the Ooni, but also rendered an inaccurate and disjointed account of the connection between the Benin Royal Dynasty and the Ooni-ship of Ife,” the statement added.

He explained that the offence of the suspended functionaries was contained in video clips circulating on social media.

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He noted that the palace considered the conduct of the functionaries as “inappropriate, sacrilegious and calculated to ridicule traditional history, and to bring disrepute to Benin custom.”

He, however, advised the general public to refrain from having anything to do with the suspended functionaries as traditional functionaries in Benin kingdom throughout their suspension.

He also urged the general public to disregard the inaccurate accounts rendered by the ill-bred individuals named above.