The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has issued a stern warning, threatening to disconnect power supply to the Presidential Villa and 86 Federal Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) due to outstanding debts totaling a staggering N47.1 billion as of December 2023.
The AEDC, in a report released on Monday, listed some of the major debtors, including the Chief of Defence Staff – Barracks and Military Formations owing a substantial N12 billion. Other notable debtors include various ministries such as Finance, Petroleum, Health, Information, Education, Agriculture, alongside entities like the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Expressing frustration over the unpaid bills, it stated that “the management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has given a 10 days’ notice to 86 government (institutions) to pay up the N47.1 billion electricity debt they owe or risk disconnection.”
The company emphasized that previous attempts to settle the debts had been unsuccessful, leading to the drastic measure of issuing a public notice. The affected MDAs have been urged to settle their outstanding bills before the looming deadline, set for Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
This move comes amidst ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to improve electricity distribution across the country. In 2019, the Federal Executive Council approved the inclusion of the Presidential Villa in the eligible customer policy, aimed at enhancing power supply and distribution infrastructure.
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Hakeem Bello, the special adviser on communications to the former Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola, highlighted that the approval was part of broader initiatives to address the erratic power supply. The eligible customer regulation, issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in 2017, allows customers to procure power directly from generation companies (GenCos), bypassing distribution companies (DisCos).
Despite these efforts, the mounting debts owed to the AEDC underscore the challenges facing the electricity sector in Nigeria. The imminent threat of disconnection serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for financial accountability and sustainable solutions to address the nation’s power crisis.
