By Mo Isa
In response to a debt of N47.1 billion, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) has threatened to cut off the Presidential Villa’s electrical supply as well as that of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Abuja.
According to the company, the Presidential Villa still owes N923,873,150 for unpaid electrical bills.
The outstanding bills of MDAs as of December 2023 were detailed by the AEDC in a disconnection notification on Monday.
The MDAs were given ten days to pay their bills and comply, failing which they would be disconnected and face a blackout starting on 28 February 2024.
According to the document, the electrical distribution firm said it was compelled to disclose the specifics of the long-standing indebtedness for the services provided.
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”.
PUNCH Newspaper revealed that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari set aside N35.9 million for the Presidential Villa’s electrical costs in the 2023 approved budget alone.
READ ALSO | Today’s Naira to dollar, pound, euro, yuan, yen, cedi exchange rates
According to reports from 2018, former president Buhari set aside N4.9 billion for the upkeep of the Presidential Villa’s energy.
According to media reports, the Director General of the Budget Office Mr Ben Akabueze defended the budget allocation for the Villa, saying, “The Villa is quite an expansive edifice with several residences and support services, so as significant as N4.9 billion sounds it is not too much to keep those facilities in top shape that they have been kept.
“Anyone who has been to the villa will appreciate that it is one of the best-maintained edifices in the country.”
In December 2023, SaharaReporters revealed that N260.8 million was set aside for electricity expenses in 2024, while N37.9 million was allotted for the State House’s generators by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.