Nowhere in the world is there ‘banding’ of electricity supply – Kate Henshaw laments

Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has raised her voice against Nigeria’s recent increase in the electricity banding system, describing it as unprecedented and unfair.

In a strongly-worded post shared on the microblogging media platform X on July 9, 2024, the actress criticised the practice of categorising electricity supply into different bands, which determines both availability and cost.

She wrote on X, “Nowhere, absolutely nowhere in the world, is there this purported “banding” of electricity supply. Give everyone access to electricity and let them pay fairly for their consumption. Yet, every 2 to 3 months, there is an increase in tariff!! Daylight robbery in darkness.”

Her post came in response to journalist Olive Modi’s stance on the epileptic power supply in Nigeria, where she likened living in Nigeria to a toxic relationship where something always goes wrong.

Modi said, “The question is what exactly is going on. Sometime in April 2024, the electricity companies classified electricity distribution into different bands from band A to band E, with band A having the most frequent supply of power and also having to pay the money and some other people complaining about not even having power at all, even though they are paying exorbitantly for it.”

“On the third of April, the government approved an increase in the electricity tariff for customers under the band A classification. Living in Nigeria feels like some sort of toxic form of relationship where you constantly expect something to go wrong,” she added.

X users responded to Henshaw’s post and agreed with her stance on the billing system for electricity.

A user wrote, “And people whose responsibility it is to deal with these issues would come on air and say things that insult our intelligence as a people. Some say, ‘Switch off your fridge when leaving your house.” It’s sad, sha. When we are ready as a people, we will demand answers.'”