IKEDC: “Air Power can settle its N4.34 billion debt however chooses to not” – Electrical energy distributors say
The Affiliation of Nigerian Electrical energy Distributors (ANED) has accused the Nigerian Air Power (NAF) of intentionally refusing to settle its excellent electrical energy debt amounting to N4,340,566,000 regardless of having the {financial} capability to take action.
Talking on Come up TV’s NewsDay on Friday, Sunday Oduntan, the CEO of ANED, supplied a breakdown of the debt collected by the Ikeja Air Power Base and lamented the challenges confronted by electrical energy distribution firms (DisCos) in recovering funds from army institutions.
In keeping with Oduntan, the full electrical energy invoice of Ikeja Air Power Base from November 1, 2013, to December 31, 2022, stood at N7.5 billion.
Nevertheless, because of the intervention of former Minister of Energy Babatunde Fashola, beneath President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, N4.3 billion was paid, leaving a stability of N3.2 billion earlier than 2023.
In 2023, the Air Power collected a recent invoice of N1.4 billion, out of which N1.2 billion was paid. Nevertheless, they refused to pay their excellent arrears, regardless of there being no competition over the invoice’s legitimacy.
“For 2024, their invoice barely elevated to N1.5 billion, however they solely managed to pay N623 million, leaving an impressive stability of N893 million,” Oduntan defined.
As of at the moment, the full excellent debt owed by the Ikeja Air Power Base stands at N4.34 billion.
DisCos Accuse NAF of Intimidation and Assault
Oduntan criticized the angle of the army in direction of electrical energy cost, accusing them of utilizing their place as a protection establishment to keep away from settling their payments.
“They’re all the time doing this ‘gra gra’ factor, reminding us on a regular basis that they’re those defending Nigeria, as if there isn’t any army within the US or Europe, and as if they don’t seem to be even paid for what they do,” he mentioned.
He additional alleged that DisCo representatives despatched to Ikeja Air Power Base to request cost in 2024 have been assaulted.
“In 2024, the people who we despatched there to go and ask for cost have been overwhelmed up at Ikeja Air Power Base. That was the primary downside we had with them,” he acknowledged.
Set up of Auto Recloser to Regulate Energy Provide
In response to the non-payment, the Managing Director/CEO of Ikeja Electrical energy Distribution Firm (IKEDC) issued a proper letter to the Air Power on July 29, 2024, notifying them of plans to put in an auto recloser gadget on the base.
This gadget would permit DisCos to manage and handle electrical energy provide primarily based on cost patterns and commitments.
“The job of that gadget is to allow us, as a service supplier, to handle the availability of vitality into any explicit place. We will decide via that machine what number of hours we can provide to that neighborhood or place, relying on their sample of cost, their potential to pay, or their willingness to pay.
“Within the case of Nigerian Air Power, they can pay, however they only don’t need to pay,” he famous.
Authorities’s Dedication to Clearing MDA Money owed
Oduntan acknowledged that the Bola Tinubu-led administration had reassured DisCos that authorities Ministries, Departments, and Companies (MDAs), together with the army, would pay their electrical energy money owed.
“In 2023, when this present president got here on board, he made it very clear to us and our traders that the federal government would settle MDA money owed, together with the army. That was why they have been capable of pay N1.2 billion out of N1.4 billion in 2023. However in 2024, the state of affairs modified,” he famous.
The DisCos are actually questioning why the Nigerian Air Power, regardless of assurances and budgetary allocations, has refused to clear its excellent N4.34 billion debt.
Earlier, Nairametrics reported that the Ikeja Electrical (IE) headquarters and its enterprise unit in Lagos have been attacked and vandalized by personnel of the Nigerian Air Power (NAF) following the disconnection of energy to a NAF facility resulting from unpaid electrical energy payments.