Due to outstanding bills totaling N47,195 billion as of December 2023, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has declared plans to cut off electricity in the Presidential Villa, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and 85 Federal Government ministries, departments, and agencies.
This was disclosed in a study published by AEDC on Monday, February 19, 2024.
The Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory owes N7.5 billion, the Ministry of Finance owes N5.4 billion, the Niger State Governor-Abuja Liaison Office owes N3.4 billion, and the Chief of Defence Staff Barracks and Military Formations are among the list of debtors with over N12 billion in debt.
The Nigeria Police Force, the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Education, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Ministry of State for Petroleum are among the others.
"The Management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has given 86 Government a 10-day notice to pay up the N47.1bn electricity debt they owe or risk disconnection," the AEDC stated in a notice of disconnection sent to the affected MDAs.
Additionally, the company asked the MDAs to make payment before the scheduled disconnection time on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
"The relevant MDAs are hereby notified that the AEDC will begin to disconnect our services to them on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, after ten days have passed since the date of this publication, provided they have paid their debts and fulfilled our obligations to them."
This is happening while distribution businesses of energy (DisCos) are still having trouble collecting enough money.
For instance, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission's report states that, of the N349.55 billion in billed consumers in the third quarter of 2023, the total income collected by all DisCos was N267.61 billion.
To guarantee the presidential villa's continuous power supply, the Federal Executive Council authorized its inclusion in the eligible customer policy in 2019.
The then-minister of power, Babatunde Fashola, was informed of this by Hakeem Bello, special adviser on communications, who stated that the approval was intended to enhance the nation's distribution and supply of energy.
He said that the minister's memorandum asking for permission to include the presidential villa in the distribution expansion programme already agreed by the council was the reason for the approval at the FEC meeting.
In accordance with section 27 of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) issued the eligible customer regulation in the middle of 2017. This regulation allows electricity customers to purchase power directly from electricity generation companies (GenCos) instead of distribution companies (DisCos).
—Legit Net News
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