BY MARY KUYE
Immediate past Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has on Tuesday said that many Nigerians including traders are willing to pay doublr on electricity if supply is regular.
Sanusi while delivering a keynote address at the 5th Kaduna Investments Summit said many Nigerians are not convinced by the government’s s explanation over the electricity tariff hike because the government is “thinking of it from a consumption perspective”.
According to him, many Nigerians, including traders, would be willing to pay double if electricity is regular and boosts their sales.
His words: “On tariff use and compensation, the government is not having that conversation in a manner that convinces people.
“People need to understand, you complain about tariffs because you are thinking of it from a consumption perspective. Look at electricity as a critical import into production, productivity, earnings, as an economic resource.
“Look at how much money you can make. There is a difference between not earning a thing and not earning something, between extreme poverty and rising above the poverty line.
“People will pay anything for electricity if they knew how to earn from it. When people cry, it is because they are paying for power and earning nothing from it. If you go to a village and sell for N100 per kilowatt and the trader is making four times more with it, he will pay twice.”
The former emir also urged the federal and state governments to ensure a link between infrastructural and economic development.
READ ALSO: What Deposed Emir Sanusi Says About Getting His Throne Back (VIDEO)
He added, “You have to make sure your projects are linked, you don’t just build a road here, a rail line there, an airport there without knowing how they are going to translate into economic gains.
“When we build airports, it should not be because people want to fly from Abuja to Kano for a wedding.”
The DisCos had on September 1 announced the implementation of a new Service Reflective Tariff Plan across their franchise areas.
