The Senate has kicked against the plans by the Ministry of Power to increase electricity tariff.
The Senate also rejected plans to remove subsidy from electricity given the present hardship in the country.
The Senate then called on the Federal Government to step down the idea of an increase in electricity tariff.
The upper chamber also directed its Committee on Power to investigate the N2 trillion subsidy requirement as stated by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and other debts owed in the sector, and find out the state of metering in the country.
The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration and approval of a motion by Senator Aminu Abbas (PDP, Adamawa Central) moved during plenary on the need to retain the subsidy on electricity in the county for the foreseeable future.
Last week, Adelabu disclosed at a press conference in Abuja that Nigeria was not likely to sustain the current electricity subsidy.
He explained that the indebtedness of the country’s power sector to electricity-generating companies and gas companies had risen to over N3tn.
He said, “Today, we owe a total of N1.3tn to the power generating companies, out of which 60 per cent is owed to gas suppliers. Today we have a legacy debt, before 2014, to the gas companies of $1.3bn; at today’s rate, that is close to N2 trillion.”