By ABAH SUNDAY, Abuja
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) on Monday said it will disconnect electricity in the Presidential Villa and 86 federal government’s ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) over N47,195 billion outstanding debts as of December 2023.
In a disconnection notice on Monday, the disco gave the defaulters 10 days to comply and defray their debts or risk blackout from February 28, 2024.
Some of the affected MDAs are Chief of Defence Staff – Barracks and Military Formations owing N12bn, FCT Ministry, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of State Petroleum, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture.
Others are the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Ministry of Education, CBN governor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Interior, Head ECOWAS, and Ministry of Transport, among others.
“The Management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has given a 10 days’ notice to 86 Government to pay up the N47.1bn electricity debt they owe or risk disconnection.
“The Abuja Electricity Distribution PLC is constrained to do this publication with the details of Government, Ministries, Departments and Agencies with long outstanding unpaid bills for services rendered to them through the provision of electricity supply in that our previous attempts to make them honour their obligations have not achieved the desired results, the notice read in part.
The firm also urged the MDAs to pay up before the disconnection time slated for Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
“The relevant MDAs are hereby given notice that the AEDC shall, after the expiration of 10 days from the date of this publication, that is, after Wednesday, February 28, 2024, embark on the disconnection of our services to them until they discharge their obligations to us by paying their debts.
Nigeria’s power generation sector has been embroiled in debt burden for years. Last week, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, warned the DisCos should sit up as anyone found wanting will have its licence withdrawn.
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) had also disclosed plans to sell off the remaining 40 percent shares of the Federal Government in the DisCos in 2024 while the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had time after time revoked DisCos’ operational licences due to debts to the tune of billions of naira.
Recall that due to alleged poor performance and liquidity crisis facing the sector, the federal government, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), and some banks took over some DisCos in recent past.