The federal government’s decision to raise the price of power by 300 percent, according to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), was not only insensitive but also showed a flagrant contempt for the condition of the populace.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the party’s acting national publicity secretary, Muhammad Ishaq, stated that the proposal would cause power providers to increase their electricity prices from N68 to N200 per kilowatt-hour.
The party claimed that the sharp increase was an unjustifiable burden on the already impoverished people of Nigeria, especially in light of the recent elimination of fuel subsidies and significant devaluation of the Naira, which have increased living expenses and caused hardship for the public.
It said that a country already on its knees would never be able to tolerate such crippling policies from the government.
Thus, the PRP urged the government to reevaluate this choice and give residents’ welfare top priority.
It also exhorted the authorities to look for substitute measures that wouldn’t make Nigerians’ misery worse.
The party believed that rather than implementing measures that would only make matters worse, we should instead use empathy, compassion, and a communal effort to raise people out of their current predicament.
It added: “As a party that champions the welfare of the people, we express our deep concern and share the shock felt by millions of Nigerians who are grappling with the harsh realities of survival.
“This decision by the government is not only insensitive but also demonstrates a blatant disregard for the plight of the citizens.
“The removal of fuel subsidies has already made life unbearable for Nigerians, and the additional burden of a 300% increase in electricity tariffs is a merciless and ruthless policy at a time when the majority of the population is struggling to meet their basic needs like food.
“It is unimaginable that the government would impose such life-frustrating policies on a nation that is already on its knees.”
