Jamiu Folarin
The federal government paid over seven billion eight million naira (N7.8 billion) to the Abuja Electricity Development Company (AEDC) to settle electricity bills of ministries, departments and agencies located within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja between 2019 and 2023.
Out of the N7.8 billion, the State House popularly referred to as Aso Rock or Presidential Villa paid N750 million between 2020 and 2023.
Domicile in the State House are the offices of President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and other top presidential appointees.
ICIR had reported that AEDC on Monday threatened to disconnect electricity in the Presidential Villa, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and other Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies over their refusal to pay about N47 billion outstanding debts as of December 2023.
The details of the payment of electricity bills to AEDC by the federal government is contained on the GovSpend Portal which is the repository of daily expenses of the federal government as contained on the government’s Open Treasury Portal. The GovSpend portal was developed by BudgIT.
From 12th February 2019 to 31st December 2023, the federal government paid the total sum of seven billion eight hundred and seventy nine million five hundred and three thousand three hundred and four naira (N7,879,503,304) to the Abuja Disco.
During this period, the State House paid the sum of seven hundred and fifty million forty eight thousand eight hundred forty three naira (N750,048,843) between 21st February 2020 to 7th December 2023.
In 2020, the State House paid ten million Naira (N10,000,000), one hundred and sixty million eight Fifty Nine Thousand Two Hundred Fifty Three Naira (N160,859,253) in 2021, Six Hundred Twelve Million Seven Hundred and Twenty Six Thousand Eight One Naira and Seven Kobo (N612,726,081.70) in 2022, and Two Million One Hundred and Eighty Three Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty Two Naira (N2,183,000,922) in 2023.
Analysis of the payment on the portal indicated that the first payment recorded was by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation the sum N66,824,289 “to settle Electricity Bill for the month of December, 2018”; and N67,209,489 in January 2019.
According to the data on the portal, the federal government has not paid any amount in 2024.
AEDC who gave the MDAs up till Wednesday, February 28, 2024 to pay up the debt or risk being disconnected claimed that the Chief of Defence Staff – Barracks and Military Formations is owing N12 billion.
Checks on the GovSpend portal shows that the Chief of Defence Staff – Barracks and Military Formations has not paid any electricity bill to AEDC in the last five years.
The firm also urged the MDAs to pay up before the disconnection time slated for Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
Other federal agencies that paid settled the electricity bill to AEDC include Budget Office of the Federation; Council of Legal Education, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning; Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security/Rural Development; Federal Ministry of Education; and Federal of Ministry of Finance.
Others are Federal Ministry of Justice; Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development; Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources; Federal Ministry of Women Affairs; Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; National Centre for Women Development; National Hajj Commission of Nigeria; National Hospital;
Distribution companies (DisCos) In Nigeria
Nigeria has eleven distribution companies such as Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Yola Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Jos Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company Plc ;Poetharcourt Electricity Distribution Company Plc ; Kano Electricity Distribution Company Plc and Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc.
DisCos are saddled with the following responsibilities; receiving energy from GenCos via TCN Plc, distributing energy to the end consumers, metering, billing of energy, revenue collection, revenue remittance to Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc for energy received, remittance of revenue to TCN Plc for services provided, receiving complaints from customers, compliance to NERC’s Service Level Agreements (SLAs), customers enlightenment (‘Electricity Update’) through local radio stations in the thirty-six (36) states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and load demand forecast.[22]
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