Two days after the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) threatened to disconnect the Presidential Villa over mounting debt, President Bola Tinubu directed immediate settlement of the outstanding bill.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, February 20, and signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s directive follows the reconciliation of accounts between the State House and AEDC.
The statement said contrary to the AEDC’s initial claim of N923 million debt in a paid advertorial in newspapers, the State House’s outstanding bill was N342 million (N342, 352, 217.46.)
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He said this was according to a letter by the management of AEDC sent to the State House Permanent Secretary dated February 14, 2024.
“Having reconciled the position to the satisfaction of both parties, the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has given assurance that the debt will be paid to AEDC before the end of this week,” the statement reads.
The statement urged other MDAs to reconcile their accounts with AEDC and always pay their electricity bills.
Eighty-six other government-run institutions owed the AEDC, and the debts total N47 billion, according to an advertorial the distribution company ran on the debt.
The ICIR reported on Monday, February 19, that AEDC 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 over N47 billion outstanding debts as of December 2023.
In the list of the debtor MDAs are the Chief of Defence Staff – Barracks and Military Formations owing N12 billion, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of State Petroleum, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Agriculture.
The debtors also include the Ministry of Education, CBN governor’s office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Transport.
The AEDC said in the debts advertorial, “The management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has given a ten days’ notice to 86 government agencies to pay up the N47.1 billion electricity debt they owe or risk disconnection.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance