Electricity Consumers Demand Probe into Punitive Measures against Aba Power

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Electricity Consumers Association of Nigeria (ECAN) has demanded a probe into the complete removal of Aba Power Limited from the sole national grid by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) following the order of the Nigerian Electricity Market Operator ostensibly on the basis of an N896 million debt owed federal government agencies in the power sector.

The ECAN made the demand yesterday in Enugu through its South-eastern zone.

According to a statement that was signed by the South-east Zonal Chairman of ECAN, Mr. Joe Ubani, and the Secretary, Mr. Chris Okpara, “the probe has become critical to restore investors’ confidence in the power sector, which is in dire need of a tremendous and sustained injection of funds.”

The ECAN alleged that there was overwhelming evidence that the TCN Executive Director for Market Operations, Dr. Edmund Eje, in particular grossly abused his power in dealing with Aba Power in the last few weeks, thus massively eroding public confidence in the power sector.

“The total removal of Aba Power from the sole transmission network in the country for a whole 10 days on Eje’s recommendation and the consequent throwing of a section of the country into darkness for so long on account of a debt by a distribution firm was unheard of in Nigeria’s history,” the ECAN further alleged.

The association noted that it was in consideration of the dire consequences for swathes of the nation not having light that the federal government has been subsidising DisCos despite their privatisation in 2013, and providing N120 billion to them in 2022 alone.

According to the association, given the severe national security implications and the general socioeconomic crisis generated by TCN’s removal of Aba Power from the national grid on Eje’s recommendation, the punitive step against the power utility, should be probed by the Minister of Power, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, or the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd), before they leave office on May 29.

“The urgency of the situation demands this probe. Everything about the action taken by the market operator smells of grand sabotage, well planned and well executed, and the nation is entitled to know whose agenda Eje is executing.

“Even when Aba Power, which took over effective management of the Aba Ringfence only last September, paid N120 million last Friday to the market operator, as agreed upon with officials of both organisations so that Aba Power would be reconnected at once, the TCN still couldn’t reconnect it to the national grid, apparently because Eje did not approve of the reconnection,” it alleged.

It stated that Aba Power was restored to the grid in the early hours of Monday following a directive by the power minster that feeders put out on account of debt be restored to the grid, which Eje allegedly explained in a statement.

The ECAN claimed that, “Aba Power, Nigeria’s 12th and the newest electricity distribution company, which has paid the market operator a whopping N440 million in the last six months, merely benefitted from a ministerial reprieve granted Kano and Kaduna electricity companies.” 

It further alleged that the TCN on April 26 disconnected only three out of hundreds of feeders belonging to the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company  for owing the market operator N33 billion, but disconnected all 29 feeders belonging to Aba Power from the national grid for well over a week for owing a mere N896 million.

It also demanded that Eje owed the nation an explanation for the discrepancy. “Just a few hours after the Kano Electricity Distribution Company had its three feeders yanked off from the grid for owing several billions of Naira, the power minister directed all feeders of Kaduna, Kano and Aba DisCos be restored.

“Neither Kano nor Kaduna was required to pay any money as condition precedent to the restoration, but in the case of Aba Power a whopping N120 million payment was made,” the association alleged.