N47bn unpaid debt: AEDC issues 10 days’ ultimatum to Presidential Villa, barracks, 84 MDAs

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has issued a 10-day ultimatum to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to pay up their outstanding electricity bills.

This was even as it put the accumulated sum at N47.2 billion.

The DisCo had, at various occasions, lamented how government establishments failed to pay up their electricity bills.

In a publication, the DisCo said it is constrained to publish names of government agencies with long unpaid debts as previous attempts were unsuccessful.

In view of this, it said MDAs who fail to pay their debts within 10 days from Monday, February 19, will be disconnected until the debts are cleared.

The affected MDAs include the Ministry of Power, DSS, Presidential Villa, the Chief of Defence staff-barracks and military formations.

As at December 2023, the Chief of Defence Staff-barracks and military formations, with approximately 184 accounts, owed a whopping N12 billion.

Also, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministry, with 423 accounts, owes N7.6 billion in unpaid bills while the Ministry of Finance, with 237 accounts, owes N5.4 billion.

The Niger State Governor, Abuja Liason Office, with 536 accounts, is responsible for N3.4 billion in unpaid bills.

The Ministry of State Petroleum, with 10 accounts, owes N2.1 billion. The Ministry of Education, with 351 accounts, owes N1.8 billion. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, with 42 accounts, owes N1.6 billion.

The Nigeria Police Force, with 1,266 accounts, owes N1.4 billion. The Presidential Villa, with six accounts, owes N923 million.

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, with four accounts, owes N846 million. The Kogi State Governor, Abuja Liason Office, with 443 accounts, is responsible for N1.2 billion in unpaid bills.

The Ministry of Health, with 65 accounts, owes N1.1 billion. The Clerk of the National Assembly, with 25 different accounts, owes N1.1 billion. The Ministry of Justice/AGF, with 46 accounts, owes N815 million.

The State Security Office, with 166 accounts, owes N648 million while the Federal Inland Revenue Service, with 18 accounts, is put at N362 million.

The National Intelligence Agency, with two accounts, owes N322 million. The Ministry of Power, with four accounts, owes N78 million.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had last week fined the 11 electricity distribution companies N10.5 billion for overbilling.