Electricity consumers in the Federal Capital Territory have said they are willing to pay higher tariffs if the government can guarantee improved and stable power supply.
Consumers residing in Kuje, Kubwa, Gwagwalada, Lugbe, and Nyanyan spoke in separate interviews with journalists in Abuja on Sunday.
A civil servant in Kuje, Monday Oriafo, said he would be willing to pay for electricity if the supply were stable, noting that having power for less than four hours daily was discouraging.
“Not having electricity for more than four hours a day is not good enough; if there is constant light, I am willing to pay for it,” he said.
A trader also in Kuje, Vivian Udoh, said all consumers would be willing to pay for regular and stable power supply.
“If I have a power supply for up to 14 hours a day, I will be willing to pay for it as fuel is no longer cheap,” she said.
•Fashion designer Amah Okorie, who resides in Kubwa, said her area rarely receives up to five hours of electricity daily, with some days recording no supply at all, a situation she said seriously affected her business.
She appealed to the government to ensure constant power supply, saying she was ready to pay any amount to guarantee it.
A welder in Gwagwalada, Jude Aleogho, said improved electricity would save him the cost of fuelling a generator for his business.
“No matter the price of electricity, it is cheaper than purchasing fuel to run a generator, so I am willing to pay for it if it were stable,” he said.
Idris Suleman, who operates a barbing salon in Lugbe, said he was ready to pay a high tariff for regular electricity, urging the government to extend stable supply beyond Band A consumers.
“If there is a regular power supply, the government will generate more revenue from it,” he added.
A cold room operator in Nyanyan, Happiness David, said epileptic power supply was frustrating her business and called on the government to put the right infrastructure in place to make electricity available to all Nigerians.
Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu recently assured Nigerians that supply would improve within two weeks, apologising for the current instability being experienced across the country.
Adelabu also appealed for patience over the temporary challenges in the power sector, saying the ministry was doing everything possible to resolve the situation.
