By Rotimi Asher, Lagos
A Lagos State high court has issued a temporary order restraining electricity distribution companies ,DisCos, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ,NERC, from increasing electricity tariffs.
The order, granted by Justice Lewis Allagoa on Monday, comes after the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria ,MAN, filed a lawsuit (FHC/L/CS/881/2024) challenging the recent tariff hike.
The lawsuit names all 11 DisCos as respondents, including the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company ,AEDC, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company ,IBEDC, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company ,EKEDC, the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company ,IKEDC, and the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company ,KAEDC.
Others are Kano Electricity Distribution Company ,KAEDC, Jos Electricity Distribution Company ,JEDC, Benin Electricity Distribution Company ,BEDC, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company ,EEDC, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company ,PHEDC, and Yola Electricity Distribution Company ,YEDC.
The NERC is the second respondent in the suit, according to the court document.
The court’s interim order effectively puts a hold on the new tariff increase, requiring DisCos to continue using the previous rates.
“That the order is without prejudice to the obligation of the plaintiff from paying their electricity bill at the old rate”, the Justice Lewis said.
This is a significant win for consumers who faced a potential hike to N225 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for Band A customers receiving 20 hours of daily power supply. The court adjourned the case to June 24 for hearing.
