The Federal Government of Nigeria has claimed that the cost of electricity consumption in the country is the cheapest in the world. The Minister of State for Power, Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed this during an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Power and heads of various agencies in the power sector on Thursday in Abuja.
According to the minister, electricity is highly subsidised by the federal government in Nigeria, which makes its cost the cheapest across the globe. He went on to compare the cost of electricity in Nigeria with that of neighbouring countries, stating that while the cost of electricity in Nigeria is 15 cents per kilowatt, it is 42 cents in the Niger Republic, 23 cents in the Republic of Benin, 25 cents in Mali, 28 cents in Senegal, and 27 cents in Burkina Faso.
However, the minister expressed concern about the high rate of defaulters in payment of electricity bills by both ordinary consumers and critical agencies of government. The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sulyman Abdulaziz, also lamented the high rate of defaults on electricity bills by critical government agencies, which led to the disconnection of Electricity Distribution Companies in Kaduna and Kano from the National grid recently.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and other members, including Senators Adamu Aliero and Yusuf Yusuf, suggested that the Ministry of Finance should deduct from the source of the electricity bills of such agencies to solve the issue. Senator Suswam further noted that one of the complaints made by the DISCOs, particularly those of Kaduna and Kano, is the enormous debt incurred by them from electricity bill defaulters. He specifically mentioned military formations across the country, educational institutions, state governments, etc., as the greatest culprits.
In conclusion, while electricity may be the cheapest in Nigeria, the issue of defaulting on electricity bills by consumers, including critical government agencies, remains a significant challenge in the country. The Federal Government and other stakeholders in the power sector need to work together to find a lasting solution to this problem.
