Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, on Sunday, reacted to the latest increase in electricity tariff, suggesting that the Federal Government eliminated electricity subsidies in 2022.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Falana said that Nigerians are paying for the inefficiency and incompetence of those managing the power sector.

“As far as the federal government of Nigeria is concerned, electricity subsidy ended in 2022. What they are now doing, is to make Nigerians pay for the inefficiency, for the profligacy and the incompetence of those who are managing the electricity sector in Nigeria,” Falana said.

His comment comes just as Nigerians continue to lament the latest increase in tariff.

He added: “Under that law, there are certain steps to take and we are going to embark on those steps tomorrow (Monday) which is to raise serious objections with respect to the impunity that has characterised the recent increase.

“At the appropriate time if there is no response, we will have to go to court because the government had warned, the minister had warned that the increase this time around will only fetch the government or the discos N1.6trn whereas the destination is N3trn.

“So, the poor people that he (the minister) is talking about, the other bands, very soon, the government is going to extend the increases to them so that the N1.4trn the minister is talking about will be recovered.

“They (the government) are increasing tariff to assist the cash-strapped discos majority of which have now been taken over by the banks and AMCON, and the banks and AMCON have no competence to run electricity companies.”