Tinubu Directs Payment of N342.35m State House Outstanding Electricity Bill

•Gbajabiamila assures payment will be effected this week

•Urges MDAs to reconcile and settle their electricity bills with AEDC

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has directed immediate settlement of outstanding electricity bill due to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.

The President’s directive, according to a release issued yesterday by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, followed the reconciliation of accounts between the State House Management and AEDC.

Contrary to the AEDC’s initial claim of N923million debt in paid advertorial in newspapers, the State House outstanding bill is N342, 352, 217.46, according to a letter by the AEDC management 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, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has given assurance that the debt will be paid to AEDC before the end of this week.

Following the example of the Presidency, Chief of Staff also urged other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to reconcile their accounts with AEDC and pay their electricity bills.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had on Monday issued a 10-day ultimatum to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to pay up their outstanding electricity bills.

In a publication, AEDC 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.

According to the notice, the presidential villa is owing an electricity bill of N923.87 million.

Other 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, owed N7.6 billion in unpaid bills while the Ministry of Finance, with 237 accounts, owes N5.4 billion.

Niger State Governor, Abuja Liaison 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, owed N1.8 billion. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with 42 accounts, owed N1.6 billion.

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

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

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

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

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