The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has sharply criticized recent comments by Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, on the proposed electricity tariff hike, calling them “insensitive” and a clear indication of failed leadership.
In a statement issued by NANS Senate President, Comrade Usman Adamu, the student body condemned the minister’s repeated advocacy for tariff increases, asserting that such proposals ignore the underlying issues plaguing Nigeria’s power sector.
“At a time when Nigerians are already gasping under the crushing weight of economic hardship—exacerbated by inflation, stagnant wages, and erratic power supply—it is not only insensitive but an outright dereliction of duty for the Honourable Minister to repeatedly prescribe tariff increments as the sole remedy for inefficiencies in the power sector,” the statement read.
The group expressed alarm over the minister’s apparent oversimplification of Nigeria’s power crisis, reducing complex challenges to what it described as a “monotonous refrain of tariff increases.”
“If the Honourable Minister’s only strategy for improving power delivery is to periodically hike tariffs, then his service is a tragic emblem of administrative inertia and cognitive bankruptcy,” the statement added. “Governance demands ingenuity—not perfunctory fiscal adjustments that do nothing to improve supply but everything to deepen the woes of citizens.”
NANS also took aim at the minister’s silence over the actions of electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos), accusing them of poor service, estimated billing practices, and failing to meet agreed service standards.
“Under Bands C and D, consumers are promised a minimum threshold of daily electricity supply, yet these benchmarks are consistently violated without consequence. The silence and inaction of the Minister in the face of these daily infractions suggest either complicity or catastrophic negligence,” the statement read.
The students challenged the minister to provide clear responses to key questions:
- What reforms are being implemented to hold DisCos accountable?
- What strategic plan exists to stabilize and decentralize the national grid?
- What efforts have been made to make renewable energy more accessible?
“Instead of answers, we are bombarded with repetitive, anti-people pronouncements that show a complete disconnect from the realities of average Nigerians,” the statement continued.
NANS concluded by urging the minister to embrace real reform or step aside.
“Nigeria does not need a tariff enthusiast in the Ministry of Power—we need a reformer, a strategist, a visionary. If the Honourable Minister cannot fulfill the basic responsibilities of his office, he should do the honourable thing and resign, rather than continuously proposing tariff increases as the only solution.”
What you should know
NANS has publicly criticized Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu over repeated tariff hike proposals, demanding practical reforms and accountability instead of measures that further burden struggling Nigerians.
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