AEDC To Disconnect Presidential Villa, MDAs, Others Over N47bn Debt [SEE FULL LIST]

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has issued a notice of disconnection of power supply to the Presidential Villa, also referred to as Aso Rock and Federal Government’s Ministries, Department and Agencies over their indebtedness.

According to the electricity distribution firm, the government agencies and offices involved owe N47,195,620,266.06.

The Presidential Villa, with six meters, has a debt of N923,873,150.

The Chief of Defence Staff, with barracks and military formations under him, has the highest debt of N12,001,481,606, followed by the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, which has 423 meters, with N7,573,120,732.

The Ministry of Finance has an accumulated debt of N5,432,741,321, while the Liaison Office of the Niger State Government in Abuja is owing N3,448,373,803.

According to the Notice of Disconnection signed and released by AEDC Management on Monday, Aso Rock Villa and the others listed in the notice have 10 days to clear their outstanding to avoid embarrassing disconnection of their power supply.

The Notice partly reads: “Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) is constrained to do this publication with the details of Government Ministries, Department 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 result.

“The relevant MDAs are hereby given notice that AEDC, shall after the expiration of 10 days from the date of this publication, that is, after Wednesday, 28th February, 2024, embark on the disconnection of our services to them until they discharge their obligations to us by paying their debts.”

Recall that the AEDC on August 27, 2022 disconnected the Niger State Government House and other MDAs over an indebtedness of over N1.3 billion.

According to the AEDC Public Relations Officer in the state, Adamu Dantani, the decision to disconnect the Government House, General Hospital and other MDAs was to recover all outstanding debts owed the company by the state government running into several billions of naira.

Dantani said the disconnection would have been carried out months ago, but shelved as a result of the intervention of the Niger State House of Assembly.

He said four months after the intervention between the company and the executive arm of government, the agreement reached had been breached by the government.

He added that in the agreement reached, the state government was to settle at least 80 percent of the debt, which it failed to do.

Other public institutions affected by the disconnection included the state Water Board, schools, all General Hospitals, Office of the Secretary to the State Government and that of the Head of Service, among others.