By CONSTANCE ATHEKAME

Electricity consumers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT, ) say they are willing to pay high tariff for improved and sustainable power supply.

The consumers who reside in, Kuje, Kubwa , Gwagwalada, Lugbe and Nyanyan said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Mr Monday Oriafo, a civil servant resident in Kuje said that he was willing to pay for electricity if the supply was stable.

Oriafo said that the government should do everything possible to ensure steady power supply adding that having electricity for less than four hours a day was not encouraging.

He said` `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”

Mrs Vivian Udoh, a trader also residing in Kuje said that all electricity consumers would be willing to pay for regular and stable power supply.

Udoh said that if the power supply improves, she was willing to pay any amount for it as it would reduce the money she spent on buying fuel for her generator.

” If I have 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.

Mrs Amah Okorie, a fashion designer residing in Kubwa said that in her area, she does not have power supply for five hours.

According to her, there are days her area does not have electricity and this is seriously affecting her business.

She said that she needs electricity to do her job and appealed to the government to do everything to ensure constant power supply, adding that she was ready to pay any amount for it.

Mr Jude Aleogho, a welder at Gwagwalada, said that if power supply improved, he was ready to pay for it instead of using a generator for his business.

Aleogho said that no matter the price of electricity, it was cheaper fuel to run generator, so I am willing to pay for it if it was stable.

Mr Idris Suleman, who operates a barbing saloon in Lugbe, said that he was also ready to pay a high tariff for electricity if it was regular.

According to him, the government should put in more effort to ensure constant power supply to the benefit of all consumers and not for only those on Band A.

He said: ”if there is regular power supply, the government will generate more revenue from it.

Mrs Happiness David, who operates a cold room in Nyanyan, said the challenge of epileptic power supply was frustrating her business.According to her, there are days that there won’t be electricity in her area and this is really affecting her business.

”The government should put the right infrastructure in place and make electricity available to all Nigerians,” she said.

NAN reports that the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, recently assured Nigerians that power supply would improve in the next two weeks and apologised for the current epileptic power being witnessed across the country.

“With the committee we have set up, the feedback from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repairing the gas pipelines, I can say that within two weeks, we should start seeing improvement in power supply.

“Once the gas lines are repaired, particularly the one from Seplat, and the committee ensures that gas companies meet their domestic supply obligations to power plants, timely payments will encourage gas suppliers and lead to improved power supply in the country,” he said.

Adelabu also appealed to Nigerians for patience regarding the temporary challenges currently being experienced in the power sector, adding that the ministry was doing everything possible to address the problem. (NAN)

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