THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has appealed to the Federal Government to put the proposed new electricity tariff regime scheduled to commence on June 1 on hold pending the conclusion of the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

Speaking at the seventh Justice James Moradeyo Adesiyun Memorial public lecture organised by the NBA, Ilorin branch, Kwara State, in conjunction with Adesiyun family of Offa, in Ilorin, on Tuesday, the chairman of Ilorin branch of the association, Mr Rafiu Balogun, said any increase in the tariff now would be met with serious resistance by average Nigerians.

Mr Balogun, who said the government should first tackle epileptic power supply and complete privatisation of PHCN before the new tariff regime, added that it was after these that the issue could be tabled for debate among Nigerians.

He said successive administrations in the country had spent huge sums of tax payers' fund on electricity without meaningful result, adding that the purported N400 billion indebtedness of PHCN as declared by the Minister of Power should be investigated to know how the debt was accrued.

The NBA boss also cautioned the Federal Government on the rumoured increase in fuel pump price, adding that Nigerians could not be railroaded into accepting any increment in pump price when the rot in the sector had not been addressed and culprits brought to book.