TheCable

Lagbaja spoke on Friday during a visit to Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power.

On Monday, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) issued a 10-day notice to 83 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to pay up the N47.1 billion electricity debt they owe or risk disconnection.

The AEDC also said military formations and the chief of defence staff barracks have a debt of N12 billion.

Lagbaja said the reason for the visit was to discuss the consequences of the power outage in army formations.

The COAS said some barracks and cantonments of the Nigerian Army have been in “total blackout” since January.

“Corpses in the army mortuaries are decomposing and the owners of the corpses are protesting,” NAN quoted Lagbaja as saying.

“Debt owed is loaded on the meter, so no matter the amount of credit we put, the meters pick it automatically.

“It is impossible for the army to raise funds to pay the entire debt. Therefore, we solicit for liquidation as was done in 2005 by the then president.”

Lagbaja assured the minister of the army’s support towards developing intelligence strategies in curbing the menace of electricity infrastructure vandalism.

On his part, Adelabu said he is ready to dialogue with the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to relieve the army of its electricity debt burden.

He also expressed readiness to intervene to restructure the debt payment if there is an assurance of regular payment by the army.

The minister said power outages are not peculiar to only army barracks but a national issue as the DIsCos and the generating companies (GenCos) are profit-oriented organisations.

“We can only plead with them to adopt a repayment plan on a monthly basis instead of embedding the whole debt in their meter,” he said.

Adelabu said the fundamental issues in the power sector value chain could be traced to the last 50 years, adding that the government, which is barely eight months old, cannot use a magic wand to proffer solutions.