Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (Discos) are facing a significant challenge as 20 out of 36 state governments have refused to pay their electricity bills.
The debts include bills consumed by state houses, secretariats, and government agencies. Sunday Oduntan, the Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, stated that government agencies are used to free electricity and have not adjusted to paying bills since privatization.
Oduntan noted that even the Aso Rock villa owed electricity bills until President Bola Tinubu ordered payment. He questioned, “But does it have to get to the President for people that work there to know that they have to pay their bill?” Oduntan emphasized that states should not be mischievous and blackmail Discos when they demand payment.
He promised to make the list of indebted states public soon, saying, “I don’t want to mention the name of that governor or the state. But I will get outstanding debts from all states.” Oduntan appealed to states and Nigerians to pay their bills regularly, stating, “We have a lot of issues when it comes to paying for electricity.
Things are getting better now than it was in the past. But I’m still appealing to the states and Nigerians in general to please put the nation first.”
The issue has led to incidents like the Kaduna Disco’s office being sealed after disconnecting power to the state government house over unpaid bills. Oduntan warned, “The Discos should pay their taxes, but the states should not be mischievous and be blackmailing the Discos every time we ask them to pay us.”
