TheCable

Tinuade Sanda, chief executive officer (CEO) of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), says ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) owe the company N36 billion.

Sanda said the outstanding debt is part of their customers’ unpaid bills in the last 10 years, which stood at over N131 billion.

She made this known on Friday, during a working visit to various power projects in Lagos by Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power.

The CEO said EKEDC would not hesitate to embark on mass disconnection of debtors, including government agencies, to resolve its unpaid bills.

“We also use this medium to appeal to our customers to pay their bills for effective service delivery,” Sanda said.

“The MDAs outstanding debts to date stood at over N36 billion,  adding that the DisCo will not hesitate to embark on mass disconnection of debtors.”

Sanda also said the company would continue to partner with government agencies and consumers to protect power assets and curtail vandalism within its operations.

‘3,500 MEGAWATTS UNACCEPTABLE’

During his visit to the power projects, Adelabu said the federal government plan to raise electricity generation to 6,500MW because 3,500 megawatts is not acceptable.

The minister said the increase would be done within the next six months.

Adelabu said the power generation increase aims to enhance power supply across the country to meet the growing energy demands. 

He emphasised the importance of the power sector in industrial and economic development, comparing Nigeria’s power generation capability to that of Korea and China, and highlighting the need for significant improvement.

Adelabu stressed the significance of prioritising baseload power generation and gradually transitioning to cleaner energy sources in order to properly meet the nation’s energy needs.

He said the government is aware of persisting complaints about power outages and encouraged stakeholders to work together to address these issues and enhance service delivery.

Adelabu said the government is focused on prioritising service provision to customers in higher billing bands while gradually extending improved services to all segments via strategic infrastructure investments.

The minister said there is a need for comprehensive reforms and transformation throughout the power sector, with a focus on metering, vandalism, debt collection, and customer relations.

He emphasised the necessity of boosting demand through consumer interaction to ensure effective utilisation of generated power, as well as efficient distribution to avoid waste.

Adelabu’s visit included an inspection of the headquarters of EKEDC and two 20 megavolts-amperes (MVA) injection substations at Randle, Surulere, along with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) monitoring rooms.