Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has accused the Federal Government of aligning with the interests of international financial bodies like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in implementing the recent electricity tariff hike.

Falana made these assertions during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, expressing his concerns about the government’s adherence to neoliberal policies advocated by these institutions.

He stated, “The Honourable Minister of Power is acting the script of the IMF and the World Bank. Those two agencies insisted and they continue to insist that the government of Nigeria must remove all subsidies.”

Falana criticized the government’s alignment with these agencies, emphasizing their push to commercialize social services like electricity, making them unaffordable for many Nigerians.

According to Falana, Western countries, led by the United States, demonstrate double standards by subsidizing various sectors while advising Nigeria against similar practices for its citizens.

The lawyer highlighted that while Western nations subsidize agriculture, energy, and fuel, they discourage Nigeria from providing similar benefits to its people.

The recent announcement of the tariff increase by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, was met with public outcry. Adelabu justified the action, stating that only Band A customers, receiving about 20 hours of electricity, would be affected.

However, Falana criticized the lack of justification from both the minister and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission regarding the tariff hike.

He argued against the discriminatory grading of customers into different bands, stating that Nigerian law prohibits such discrimination, especially when the service provided to all customers remains inconsistent.

Falana expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the Senate probe, suggesting that the matter should be taken to court to hold the minister and the Attorney General of the Federation accountable for defending the tariff hike.