“With Subsidy, No Light”: Shehu Sani Questions Tinubu’s Decision To Remove Electricity Subsidy

• Mixed reactions have continued to trail President Tinubu's planned removal of electricity subsidy
• Senator Shehu Sani has wondered what Nigerians will contend with because, with subsidy intact, there is no stable electricity
• The former lawmaker queried the federal government's move as Nigerians presented other possible options if the government decided to do its bidding

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Former Kaduna Senator Shehu Sani has expressed concern as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government announced plans to remove electricity subsidies for effective utilisation of energy in the country.

The former lawmaker wondered what would become of the citizenry following the government's announcement, as he noted that "with electricity subsidy, there is no light."

Sani made this assertion in a post shared on his X page on Friday, February 16, 2024, and Nigerians have reacted differently.

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Recall that the federal government on Wednesday, February 14, declared that it was now “very difficult to sustain subsidy on electricity”.

The minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, told journalists in Abuja that the country’s power debt had risen and Nigeria must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, The Punch reported.

This comes at a time when Nigerians across the country have been experiencing blackouts following the collapse of the power grid in 2023, compounded by the high cost of premium motor spirit, popularly known as fuel.

Amid the current economic challenges bedevilling Nigeria, the former lawmaker and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tweeted:

"With electricity subsidy, there is no light…what will happen when the subsidy is removed?

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Nigerians react

@Awoken9ijaYouth tweeted:

"We will have to go back to your radios oh."

@AGINAS tweeted:

"Subsiding electricity won't make any difference."

@JVeebrand tweeted:

"Nigerians will pray for Light from Heaven according Adeboye."

@obajemujnr tweeted:

"The question is: who and where have we really benefited from fuel subsidy removal?

"If we see any traceable evidence or benefits from fuel subsidy removal, the electricity subsidy is another sc@m. Try and Error governance."

@Northernman00 tweeted:

"There will be more light, trust the process Shehu Sani! Stop looking at negative side of the story, always be optimistic please."

NERC speaks on new electricity subsidy

In an earlier report by Legit.ng, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), said wealthy Nigerians make up the highest consumers of electricity subsidies in Nigeria.

NERC revealed this in its 2022 Market Competition Report released on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

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The commission said the end-user tariff subsidy in Nigeria is more favourable to the rich as the top income earners in Nigeria consume more electricity than others.

It added that the average price spent on electricity is about N64.4 per kilowatt per hour using the former exchange rate in Nigeria, which was lower than the average tariff in West Africa.

Source: Legit.ng