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AEDC Issues Deadline To ECOWAS, UN, Nigerian Ministries To Pay N37billion Debts Or Face Disconnection

Published

9 months ago

February 21, 2024

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) has given the United Nations’ Abuja liaison office, the Head Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Abuja, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Power, Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance and over 50 other ministries, departments and agencies 10-day disconnection ultimatum over N37.641 billion outstanding electricity charges debt.

SaharaReporters on Monday reported that the AEDC threatened to disconnect the electricity supply of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, along with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) over a total debt of N47.1 billion.

The electricity distribution company said that the Presidential Villa owes the sum of N923,873,150 as an outstanding debt for electricity charges.

the power distribution company said that the Clerk to the National Assembly, Ojo Olatunde Amos, the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), also known as State Security Services (SSS), owe a total of N3,416,204,222 in electricity bill.

In a disconnection notice on Monday, the AEDC listed the outstanding electricity debts of government ministries, departments and agencies as of December 2023.

It gave the MDAs 10 days to comply and pay their debts or risk disconnection and subsequent blackout from February 28, 2024.

The company in the document stated that it was constrained to publish the details of the debts which had lasted for long for the services rendered.

The AEDC stressed that the publication of the unpaid electricity bill became imperative because its “previous attempts to make them honour their obligations have not achieved the desired result”.

According to the AEDC, the United Nations Abuja liaison office owes the sum of N107,685,232, while Head ECOWAS owes the sum of N99,773,800 in electricity bill.

The company further stated that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria owes the sum of N1,584,767,584, while Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) owes the sum of N7,573,120,732, and the Ministry of Finance owes the sum of N5,432,741,321, while Chief of Defence Staff – Barracks and Military Formations, Abuja owes N12,001,481,606 in electricity bill.

Other ministries, departments and agencies on the AEDC list are Ministry of Petroleum Resources which owes the sum of N2,129,376,879; Ministry of Education owes N1,817,404,102; Ministry of Health owes N1,187,864,924; Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) owes N846,110,778; Ministry of Justice/Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) owes N815,677,935, while Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) owes N362,387,502.

Also, National Intelligence Agency (NIA) owes the sum of N322,603,596; Ministry of Information owes N302,060,743; Ministry of Trade and Investment owes N281,539,635; Ministry of Interior Affairs owes N268,595,850; Ministry of Works and Housing owes N215,670, 588; Ministry of Foreign Affairs owes N200,297,253; Comptroller General of Custom owes N173,432,325; Ministry of Budget and Planning owes N168,593,410, while Ministry of Agriculture owes the sum of N140,149,183.

The AEDC further stated that Ministry of Communication owes the sum of N124,095,050, while Ministry of Culture and Tourism owes N114,608,811; Ministry of Transport owes N97,773,800; National Security Adviser (NSA) owes N95,904,659; Nigerian Communication Commission owes N95,204,007; Ministry of Mines and Steel Development owes N94,635,258; Ministry of Science and Technology owes N80,509,683, while Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) owes the sum of N78,118,641 in electricity bill.

Others are, Ministry of Power which is said to be owing the sum of N78,029,797, while Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) owes N74,970,206; the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) owes N60,550,254; Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) owes N56,713,906; National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) owes N56,376,179; Ministry of Environment owes N53,187,896; Ministry of Water Resources owes N52,944,694, while Ministry of Women Affairs owes N37,407,828.

Also, Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) owes the sum of N35,304,503; Post Master General owes N32,206,182; Director General of the Meteorological Agency owes N31,576,383; National Pension Commission owes N27,164,745; National Social Insurance Trust Fund owes N26,662,698; National Insurance Commission owes N19,006,097 and Local Government – Niger State owes N18,805,733.

The electricity distribution company further listed the Managing Director of World Bank in Abuja as owing the sum of N17,596,613, while Nigeria’s Head of Service owes N17,512,936; National Human Right Commission (NHRC) owes N17,107,834; Ministry of Labour and Employment owes N15,681,999; Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) owes N14,426,249; Public Complaints Commission (PCC) owes N13,723,736, while Ministry of Science and Technology appearing the second time on the list owes N11,997,114.

The company also said that Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is owing the sum of N10,897,135, while Comptroller General of Prison is owing N10,879,284; New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) owes N8,316,065; Local Government – FCT owes N5,415,746; Chief Justice – FCT owes N5,005,748; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) owes N4,455,332, and National Cereals Research Institute owes N3,781,540.

Others are National Immigration Service which is owing the sum of N3,557,729; Comptroller General of Immigration owes N1,517,866; Local Government – Nasarawa owes N2,970,940; National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) owes N1,459,542; Ministry of Aviation owes N1,418,984, while Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) owes N1,060,286 in electricity bill.

News

Reps Quiz Federal Polytechnics Damaturu, Mubi, Monguno Over Infractions

Published

19 minutes ago

November 24, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has queried the Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Borno State and Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State over series of administrative and financial infractions.

This was as Rectors and some management staff of the three institutions appeared before the house Committee on Polytechnics and other Higher Technical Education, as part of oversight function to render accounts of their budget performances.

But the Committee found various infractions in the documents presented by the three institutions which ranged from abuse of Federal Character in employment, Extra-Budgetary spendings and recurring abandoned, uncompleted projects in one of the institutions.

During presentation by the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Dr. Abdulrahman Ishaku, the Committee discovered that projects that were to be completed in two to three years were not finished despite adequate release of funds in budget.

Specifically, the Committee was provoked by the non-completion of a staff quarters and an administrative block project by the institution for years.

Speaking, Rep. Emil Inyang who stood in for the Committee Chairman, Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda at the meeting on Thursday, lamented that, the projects have not been completed and have been recurring in the budgets.

He said, “Physical Planning, can you show me where you rolled over the project to 2023? It’s not here. Is it in 2024? Why do you come here to lie? Where is it? That admin block, is it in use? Has it been completed? So, you have abandoned it.

“Gentlemen, I don’t know what to say to these kinds of people. Construction of staff quarters, Item number Nine under 2022 capital projects. Have you seen it Rector? What is the state of that building? Is it completed? It is completed, that’s what is shown here, and you are saying it is still remaining fittings. Is fittings not part of completion?

“You people are just disgracing yourselves. We are just killing this country from various directions. From our various positions we are just killing this country. Let me ask a question on this staff quarters. In 2022, the amount appropriated was N57.9 million, N28.9 was utilized was released, so remaining N28.9 that’s half.

“But, by 2023, appropriation was 88 and the entire amount has been released. So, is it the same project?If it is the same project, when this appropriation was done, does it mean that, the other 28 that was not done, not utilised that time, is it kept somewhere?”

The Rector however informed the Committee that, the fund was later mopped up.

In his ruling after the submission, the Chairman stated, “What I will tell you now is that, instead of going through this your document that does not satisfy anything, please, you will.list all the abandoned, all the structures you have not completed. When it started, How much was appropriated, How much you have put in till date, the state of those projects one after the other in the entire school.

“Not just in. your regime. From inception till date.So that, we will include them in your 2025 budget. You will not do any new thing as capital. You must complete these abandoned. You have turned some of these projects to conduits of putting money into them and not completing them. Even the ones you have written as completed here. You used your own mouth to tell us here that, you have not installed fittings. That is what you said.

“So, this is why it is necessary for us to go there and see things for ourselves.Because what you are doing here, you are just wasting governments’ resources. These abandoned projects or the state of the jobs especially constructions, let’s have it in one week time. How much you have put in there, at what stage are they, how much you will need to complete”.

Similarly, the Committee criticized the Federal Polytechnic Damaturu over using Insecurity as an excuse for financial malfeasance and other infractions as well the abuse of Federal Character in employment.

Chairman of the Committee noted that, the institution has carelessly spent its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) according to the records presented to the Committee.

In his presentation, the Acting Rector, Dr Ibrahim Babale Gashua said, the institution is faced with the challenge of low IGR as a result of the insecurity being faced in the state, which according to him, has reduced students intake and other activities.

He said, “We that are residing in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, we have three different high institutions. We have to lower our tuition fee because not everybody will come from outside the state. Even those in the state, it is only the course that is not available in their places that they come for in Damaturu because of the insurgency”.

The Committee however discovered that, despite the insurgency claim that reduced the institutions IGR, there was no commensurate reduction in its spending which the Committee said cannot be justified.

Another member of the Committee while commenting on the matter said, “Everybody comes to claim insurgency. Students don’t want to come to the schools. But it doesn’t stop them from spending the whole money.IGR, you blow it, Overhead, and yet, there is insurgency. So, it’s funny. You see, if I have a house and I am supposed to have 10 people occupying it. If 10 people are not occupying it, it means that my NEPA.payment, my PHCN money will reduce, because consumption of power supply will reduce. My water consumption will reduce. My number of cleaners will reduce because I don’t have full occupation. You understand what I am saying? My security personnel will reduce in terms of numbers.

“So, these are the issues.Most of the Polytechnics in the North come here brandishing this insecurity issue as the major reason for non performance. You are not performing on students admission, but you are performing on your expenditure profile”.

Speaking, Chairman of the Committee said, “Ok, this insurgency is a big excuse. Once you mention it, you will all close our mouths.Look at your Nominal Role, a federal Institution. Open to page 47 and 48, you will see how you have obeyed the law of the land, the Federal Character. Have you seen it Acting Rector? That’s the best you can do? You think from all those Zero-Zero states, if you offer them employment they wouldn’t come?”.

The Rector however reacted saying, “Some of them don’t come. Even those that we have left. I am telling you Sir”.

But a member of the Committee, Rep. Adebayo Adepoju faulted the Rector’s claim and said, it was not justifiable.

He said, “You cannot defend it, because if you are trying to defend it, saying that you’ve done everything in your powers and Nigerians have refused to come to your school, at that point, you say you have done the most you can do.

“But, when you did not even given Nigerians the opportunity to apply. We know what goes on in Federal Character. We know. I am telling you, if you go there and you want to apply, everybody has an interest, they give you. And before you know, they give you Certificate of Compliance.

“That Certificate of Compliance, we have shredded it so many times. Give yourself the opportunity to be fair to Nigerians.People want jobs in this country. We have so many jobless people and you will agree with me, there are many that will say, I won’t mind to go to Borno to teach.Please let’s give them an opportunity”.

The Rector and Management of the Polytechnic were directed to remedy the anomalies in their employment and henceforth advertise all vacancies in national dailies in order to give all Nigerians equal opportunity.

Similarly, after a presentation by the Rector, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Prof. Garba Mohd, the Committee directed the institution to also be diligent in its observance of Federal Character and other issues as the Committee discovered a skewed empolyment in the institution in favour of a particular section of the country.

It reminded the Rector and members of his management that, as a federal institution, it is required by law to treat all parts of the country in terms of employment and other considerations.

News

Obasanjo narrates how he escaped becoming drug addict

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Naijablitznews

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he almost became a drug addict.

He spoke in Abeokuta over the weekend at the second edition of ‘Fly Above The High’ anti-drug campaign conference organised by the Recovery Advocacy Network.

Obasanjo stated that smoking during his youthful age led to chronic coughing and almost became an addiction.

The former President, while lamenting the increase in drug abuse among Nigerians and other West Africans, urged Nigerian students and young people to refrain from abusing psychoactive drugs, saying that they ruin life rather than enhance it.

“If I had persisted, I could have become addicted. Once you get involved, it is difficult to get out.

“There’s nothing drug can do for you except destruction.

“We found out that West Africa has equally been a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way. That was more than 10 years ago, so the situation has since gone worse. And whatever applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” Obasanjo said.

He cautioned against stigmatization and urged individuals who are already addicted to psychoactive drugs to get help.

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We saved $20bn after Petrol Subsidy Removal and FX Rate Reforms, Says Finance Minister

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Naijablitznews

Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says Nigeria has saved $20 billion from petrol subsidy removal and market-based pricing of the foreign exchange rate.

Edun spoke at a ceremony recently held to mark the first 100 days in office of Esther Walso-Jack, head of civil service of the federation, in Abuja.

“An amount of five per cent of GDP is what those two subsidies were costing when there was a subsidy on PMS; when there was petroleum product generally for a long time and when there was a subsidy of foreign exchange. Between them, they were costing five percent of GDP,” he said.

“If you say GDP was on average, let’s say $400 billion. We all know what five percent of that is – $20 billion of funds that could be going into infrastructure, health, social services, education.”