Cost Of Electricity Consumption In Nigeria Cheapest In The World — FG

The Federal Government on Thursday submitted that the cost of electricity consumption in Nigeria is the cheapest and most defaulted by consumers in the world.

It made this submission when the Minister of State for Power, Engineer Abubakar Aliyu, and heads of various agencies in the power sector had interactive session with the Senate Committee on Power…..CONTINUE READING

Explaining why the cost of electricity consumption is on the low side, the minister said electricity is highly subsidized in Nigeria by the Federal Gov­ernment.

He backed up his claim by making comparative analysis of cost of electricity in Nigeria with those of the neighbouring countries.

Aliyu said: “Cost of electric­ity in Nigeria is the cheapest across the globe, particularly gas to power, which is highly subsidized.

“For example, while cost of electricity in Nigeria is 15 cent per kilowatt, it is 42 cent in Niger Republic, 23 cent in Republic of Benin, 25 cent in Mali, 28 cent in Senegal, 27 cent in Burkina Faso, etc.”

He pointed out that many of the ordinary consumers and even critical agencies of gov­ernment, default in payment of bill, lamenting that government is doing everything possible to make electricity affordable and available for Nigerians.

Also lamenting in the same vein, the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engineer Sulyman Abdulaziz, said high rate of defaults on electricity bills by critical government agencies led to disconnection of Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) in Kadu­na and Kano from the national grid recently.

He added that though they have been temporarily recon­nected but must make payment through the affected DisCos to TCN within the 60 days grace given.

The senators, who respond to the myriad of problems nar­rated by the minister and heads of agencies in power sector, suggested what they thought should be the way out.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and other members like Senators Adamu Aliero, Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, among others, suggested deduction from source electricity bills of such agencies by the Ministry of Finance.

Suswan disclosed that one of the complaints made by the DisCos, particularly those of Kaduna and Kano, is enor­mous debt incurred by them from electricity bills defaulters.

He said that the written complaint by DisCos specifi­cally mentioned military for­mations across the country, educational institutions, state governments…..CONTINUE READING